


Waiting For Euphoria

by sazzykins



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Burlesque Club, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bless Phichit for enabling so many fandom things, Bless the Eros persona for enabling even more, Burlesque, Double Entendre, Humour, I hope, I refuse to have a burlesque club without as many women in it as men, M/M, Men in Dresses, Multi, Mutual Pining, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, characters who talk too damn much, or will yuri spontaneously cobust from self induced embarrassment?, so they can work legally, there's only one way to find out!, will victor go into cardiac arrest first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2018-10-28 21:32:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 66,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10839870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sazzykins/pseuds/sazzykins
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki and his flatmate Phichit Chulanont are broke ex-students who are facing the retail hell of the holidays while trying to break into the competitive arenas of entertainment. After a mistake with a Wanted advert, Yuuri ends up auditioning for a style of dance that is most certainly not ballet and as it turns out...he's kinda good at it! However, trying to keep his night-work separate from the rest of his life becomes a damn near impossible task when the Mr. Perfect who comes to his store regularly starts showing up at the club and seems to take a shine to his stage persona!





	1. B stands for Ballet, right?

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into Yuri on Ice fic!
> 
> This fic has been inspired by Runesque's amazing [burlesque AU art](http://runesque.tumblr.com/post/157809949244/well-the-ending-turned-out-more-mushy-than-id)
> 
> (Seriously go check it out, it's so beautiful!)
> 
> I love burlesque shows and so help me some of the routines I have seen are gonna make their way into this fic, alongside some handy music links!

_Dear Mr. Katsuki_

__

__We are writing in regard to your audition for a dancer with our Baranovskaya Ballet. We regret to inform you that at this moment in time we have found other dancers we feel fit the part better._ _

__

__We do hope this will not stop you from trying again in the future when auditions open once more._ _

__

__On a personal note, the judges would like me to inform you that they were very impressed with your ability, however your lack of confidence clearly affected your performance. If you are able to work on that we have no doubt you will succeed in all your future ambitions._ _

__

__If you wish for any specific feedback, please contact the company on…_ _

__

 

Yuuri tossed the letter aside and dropped his head onto the kitchen counter with a groan, the cool surface pressing his glasses into the bridge of his nose and pinching the skin. He heard a rustle as the letter was picked up, a soothing hand appearing on his back and rubbing small circles.

 

“Aaah, they didn’t deserve you anyway, Yuuri…” Phichit began as his eyes scanned over the letter. “But they said they were impressed with your dancing! It’s just your confidence…”

 

“Same story, every time,” Yuuri muttered, turning his head to the side to watch Phichit from the corner of his eye, as he remained slumped over the counter.

 

Phichit sighed, screwing the letter up and launching it into the bin.

 

“Well, there’s more companies and more auditions! We’ll find you something yet!” Phichit declared, with a confidence Yuuri wished he had.

 

“By the time I find something I’ll be retirement age… I’ll be working in a shop forever at this rate…” he groaned, as visions of trying to support himself in old age by stacking shelves with a man from the student loan company behind him cracking a whip flashed through his mind.

 

“Well, Christmas is coming, if you want some dancing there’s always a lot of pantomimes going on. We can go together! At least you can use your dancing experience and get some stage time as well.” Phichit moved to the kettle and began boiling water. Rejection letter time was tea time.

 

“Yeah, I’ll start looking…” Yuuri pulled the local theatre listings over and began half-heartedly flicking through them.

 

“How about pole-dancing? You were always good at that!” Phichit said with a grin.

 

“Phichit! I am not pole-dancing for a living!” Yuuri sputtered, face reddening slightly as Phichit began to laugh.

 

“I’m sorry, Yuuri! I couldn’t resist, you were actually good at it!” Phichit squeaked as Yuuri reached over and gave him a shove. “Stop bullying me!”

 

“I’m not bullying you, Phichit! You’re bullying me! Just let me look for my backing dancer number five jobs in peace before I have to go to work…” Yuuri grumbled, pouting at his friend while pointedly pulling the magazine towards him again.

 

Phichit kept giggling. “Sorry, Yuuri. Here, have some tea as an apology.”

 

Yuuri accepted the tea, the warmth of the mug and scent of the green tea within was oddly comforting, even now. He circled a potential job opening he could contact after work.

 

“Well at least there’s one thing, Yuuri. Baranovskaya Ballet doesn’t have Mr. Perfect Face hanging around a few times a week buying his fresh fruit!” Phichit’s grin returned. “You know I heard that eating pineapple was really good for improving the taste of…”

 

“Phichit, please stop!” Yuuri felt his face growing alarmingly warm. He picked up his mug, taking a longer sip of the still hot liquid than necessary in an attempt to hide what he knew to be a bright shade of red across his face. The man in question was due in today and Yuuri did __not__  need to see him while thinking about the effects of fresh fruit on his no doubt perfect body.

 

Phichit dissolved into giggles again. “I’m sorry, Yuuri. I’m shutting up now, I promise. I’ll look through the listings while you’re at work for you as an apology!” He held his hands together in front of his face.

 

“Fine, but no pole-dancing jobs!”

 

“No pole-dancing jobs! Got it!” Phichit saluted.

 

Yuuri finished his tea then grabbed his hat and scarf to begin the process of bundling up. The day was bright but cold and winter was definitely hanging in the air now. He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to where Phichit was now sat on the couch, dutifully looking through the listings magazine.

 

“I’m off,” Yuuri said as he opened the door.

 

“Hi ho! Hi ho!” Phichit responded.

  
”It’s off to work I go!” Yuuri groaned. He wished he had followed his instincts and left the letter closed until after work. He felt like he had deflated and didn’t really have the energy to plaster a smile on his face for the general public; crawling into bed and having a nap seemed like a much more preferable idea.

 

As he stood at the bus stop, he ran through the possible areas he could get dancing work at this time of year. Pantomimes were the likeliest gigs, the big tour ones would probably already be full but smaller groups and theatres would have their own shows and auditions. If nothing else it would keep him moving and practising until the next ballet auditions. For a moment he was thankful that he had tried many different dance styles along with Phichit in university, because they allowed them both to get gigs like this when money was short.

 

They both worked in supermarkets part-time, with Phichit focusing on entertainment presentation; part-time and temporary jobs called him into local shows, festivals and even the local news channel a few times though nothing had stuck yet. Yuuri focused on trying to break into the competitive world of ballet, a love of the dance drummed into him from his younger days under Minako. A woman who had seemed to be able to manage his anxiety well and help him overcome it. Maybe he should talk to her and see if she had any advice…

 

The bus came to a stop and Yuuri left, walking quickly down the road to his store. He sighed. He doubted his old teacher could tell him anything he didn’t already know.

 

At work he changed into his uniform and set off into the warehouse to collect the cages of goods ready to be unstocked. He went straight for the chilled aisle, telling himself it was just that he was saving his co-workers from having to work in the cold area and this was most certainly not because on Thursdays Mr. Perfect came in to buy his fresh fruit…

 

Yuuri felt the flush creeping back into his cheeks as he remembered what Phichit had said. Yes, the cold air would be good.

 

He pulled the cage into a spot where it would obstruct customers the least and began refilling the shelves and removing empty boxes. He fell into his usual routine, occasionally being interrupted to show people to items they wanted or answer questions. The letter was slowly pushed to the back of his mind to be dealt with later as the familiar routine allowed his mind to switch off and lose itself in the work.

 

As he turned to pull the cage back into the warehouse, he started, heart leaping momentarily into his throat and the blissful fog of operating on instinct alone vanished with a disorientating suddenness. Mr. Perfect was almost right behind him, picking his way through the cartons of prepared fresh fruit in his long black coat and that pink scarf that brought out his eyes just right. Mr. Perfect turned his head, seeming to realise he was being stared at and a smile broke out on his face. The man was positively radiant.

 

“Afternoon! How are you?”

 

Yuuri stuttered slightly. Mr. Perfect seemed to recognise him now and always greeted him. Yuuri was fully prepared to kick himself every week for being too obvious, which he must be at this point if the man was greeting him every week. However, since Mr. Perfect didn’t seem to mind, he would just keep hanging around until then…

 

“Fine, thank you. How are you?” Yuuri slipped into his sales routine persona as best he could, trying to ignore the flush appearing in his face again and his heart hammering in his chest. He silently willed the air to become colder and take the redness away from his face.

 

“I’m shattered! Work is so busy, you would not believe how many clients I have calling me every day because they wants things ready before Christmas! I come here for some peace and quiet!” Mr. Perfect laughed slightly, blue eyes twinkling, skin annoyingly flawless even under the harsh fluorescent lighting of the supermarket. Well, flawless with the exception of a cute pink tint to the tip of his nose and ears from the cold outside. He flicked his head slightly, removing silky-looking strands of silver hair from his face looking like a god-damn hair advert as he waited for a reply.

 

“Do you get busier at Christmas as well?” Yuuri asked, wanting to kick himself again because he was fairly sure he was going to have a heart attack if he stayed where he was any longer.

 

“So much busier, and I have an apprentice to teach as well, and he’s very talented but also…he is 18 but still very much a teenager. I forgot what it was like to be that age, but everything is so difficult and old people like me just don’t understand…” Mr. Perfect rolled his eyes slightly with a smile and a shrug. “I imagine you get a lot busier here at Christmas?”

 

“Yeah, not until November-December really though…” Yuuri trailed off, unsure what to say, brain short circuiting. Mr. Perfect often greeted him but was rarely this chatty.

 

There was an awkward pause, before Mr. Perfect spoke again.

 

“The pineapple isn’t here, have you run out or has it moved?”

 

Yuuri took as inconspicuous a deep breath as he could before replying, turning to look at his cage to hide the colour of his face. Damnit, Phichit!

 

“It was moved to the end display with some of the other fruit, I’ll show you where…” He marched off with his cage, letting Mr. Perfect follow him. He gestured to where the pineapple cartons were and thanked the other man for his custom before leaving.

 

“See you later…” He heard Mr. Perfect’s voice as he left but didn’t turn round. He’d been obvious and pathetic enough for one day.

 

Once safe in the warehouse, Yuuri made sure to hang around his cages for a few minutes, pretending to study the stock on them until he was sure Mr. Perfect had gone.

 

He set back to work with no further interruptions until his break. He wondered briefly what Mr. Perfect did for a living, whatever it was he seemed in high demand. Maybe he worked in a high fashion shop, that coats he wore always looked expensive…

 

When his lunch break arrived, he disappeared into the staffroom where a couple of other sales assistants sat, each playing on their phone and occasionally sharing pictures and things they had seen on the internet with each other. Yuuri pulled a bottle of water and a bento box from the staff fridge and sat down at the table to flick through his phone.

 

A message notification from Phichit caught his eye.

 

“ _ _There’s an audition tonight! It’s a small place apparently, it’s at 7:30pm and the address is...”__

__

Yuuri felt his heart start trying to claw its way into his throat. He thought about his day clothes that he had worn here, not ideal but they would do in a pinch. He googled the venue; it wasn’t an area he was familiar with and he didn’t recognise the name. Maybe it was a new and smaller company…

 

He took a deep breath and replied, eager to remove a sneaking suspicion from the back of his mind.

 

“ _ _This isn’t a pole dancing gig is it?”__

__

The reply was almost instant.

 

__“No! And I’m only in the B-section of the adverts anyway! How bad a friend do you think I am?”_ _

__

__“Just making sure…”_ _

__

__“Anyway, it’s Thursday! Has Mr. Perfect been in yet?”_ _

__

__“Yes, and he was buying pineapple, damn you, Phichit!”_ _

__

A string of laughter and evil grin emojis followed, tailed by an eggplant and squirting emoji.

 

Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was amused or angry at this point.

 

 _ _“He was telling me he’s really busy at work at the moment because Christmas is coming up, apparently he has an apprentice as well.”__  Yuuri tried to change the subject.

 

__“He sounds like Santa Claus to me. Silver hair, busier at Christmas, has an elf…”_ _

__

__“He’s too slim to be Santa, and apprentice does not mean elf…”_ _

__

__“It’s all an illusion. Marry him so we get free gifts! It sounds like he likes you if he’s chatting to you!”_ _

__

__“I don’t think so, I think he has just realised that I am always lurking around him! Probably just being polite because he thinks I’m a stalker who might snap and murder him in his bed if he isn’t!”_ _

__

__“Or he thinks you’re cute. Strange, I know, but some people do think you are cute!”_ _

__

__“I’m not cute! And I think I would know if he was interested!”_ _

__

__“You say this but remember Mike from college? He spent an entire term flirting with you and you had no idea! It was like watching the human equivalent of those pigeons when one is trying to flirt and the other one is just walking away!”_ _

__

__“Mike was not flirting! We were helping each other out!”_ _ __  
_ _

__“He asked you to come and study in his room, late on a Saturday night with beer when all his house mates were out. And you just said the library was a better option because then you could get the books easier. I think you destroyed his spirit after that, Yuuri!”_ _

__

Yuuri froze and thought back to university. In the context of what Phichit said, a lot of Mike’s studying suggestions suddenly made a lot more sense. Oops.

 

__“Okay, fine! But Mr. Perfect is not hitting on me, the guy looks like a runway model!”_ _

__

__“I’m gonna come in one day and watch. Then I can tell you because you are oblivious!”_ _

__

__“He’s not and don’t you dare! My break is over now, see you later!”_ _

__

__“See you later, good luck at the audition!”_ _

__

Yuuri put his phone and bag away and headed back downstairs with Phichit’s suggestion still in his mind. He shook his head, as nice as the thought was, there was no way that man was flirting with him. The guy looked like he had just stepped off a runway, and from the glance of himself in the mirror Yuuri had taken in the staff bathroom, he mostly certainly did not. Not to mention there was no way a man like that was single, people would be fighting for him left, right and centre.

 

The rest of his shift passed quickly and with minimal interruption. Yuuri felt anxiety bubbling beneath the surface as he tried to work out which buses he would need to get to the audition, whether they’d have some stock music he could use, and he didn’t have a CV or anything with him…

 

On the way out after work, he asked the manager, a middle-aged woman named Barbara who was always nice to Yuuri but certainly had an edge when it came to less reliable members of staff, if he would be allowed to print his CV out. She ushered him into the office and left him to access the document from his email, printing it swiftly and tucking It safely into his bag. After thanking her he excused himself and headed to the bus stop.

 

The venue was past his house in the opposite direction, requiring another bus change. He checked the time, as long as the buses ran on time - a distant, fond dream - he would be there early, but with usual bus service he’d be there just after the doors opened, but if others were auditioning there would be a queue so hopefully it would be fine. If there was no queue he would be a little late…

 

He ran through his audition in his head, even without the music he would be able to dance but they usually wanted a piece to listen to. He knew all the popular songs for ballet auditions and the venue would usually have some in case a dancers own music didn’t work for some reason. As he sat on the bus he bounced his leg up and down, nervous energy building and needing an outlet. Soon his other leg joined in, leaving Yuuri vaguely aware that he must look like a twitchy mess to anyone to glanced his way.

 

He supposed it was good in a way that he hadn’t had a full day to think about this, so he had slept normally last night and other than the letter had carried on as normal. On the other hand, he now felt woefully unprepared.

 

The bus stopped and as he made his way to the next, sadly unsheltered stop, he felt light drops of rain on his face. An omen.

 

As predicted, the next bus didn’t arrive and Yuuri stood in the rain for another ten minutes, or an hour, he wasn’t sure which, feeling thoroughly drenched and downtrodden and fairly certain the universe was trying to tell him to go home and work in a shop for the rest of his life. Finally, the roar and overly bright lights of the bus appeared and he was able to gain shelter in the damp-smelling vehicle.

 

He brought up the GPS on his phone to tell him when he would be closest to the venue, since the bright lights and fogged windows of the bus were no help to him whatsoever. He squinted at the screen while drying and cleaning his glasses, pushing his wet hair away from his face, trying to make himself seem somewhat presentable. Hopefully there would be a long queue and a bathroom he could dry off in.

 

Finally, his position on the map came close to the venue. He hit the stop button and made his way to the front of the bus. Thanking the driver, he got out and began walking down the street, focusing on his phone screen but trying to remain aware of the area around him. It seemed a little run down but otherwise fine, though walking around in the dark with your phone out while alone was always a bad idea…

 

Finally he reached the venue, a seemingly small brick building, sandwiched between two other similar buildings with shop fronts at street level and flats above. The front held posters advertising various themed nights, something to do with cocktails and a bunch of men in suits. Double doors sat to the right of the posters, the name of the venue in lights above it.

 

Yuuri wiped his glasses and tried to read the neon-lit word.

 

“Yuphoria…” This was the place Phichit had given him, but Yuuri was not entirely convinced. This did not seem like a place that held ballet auditions. Then again, if it was a smaller or completely independent company they might save money by hiring rooms and stages in places like this…

 

With a deep breath and a silent prayer that this wasn’t a human trafficking ring, Yuuri pushed open the door and stepped inside.

 

The bright lights made him squint and the warmth quickly fogged his glasses up. A large man stood in front of him, intimidating but with a welcoming smile visible on his face once Yuuri had dried his glasses.

  
”Sorry, is this where the auditions for…?” Yuuri began but was cut off by the other man’s reply.

 

“Yes it is, just join the queue here. I’m Takeshi Nishigori, one of the owners here. There’s a bathroom if you want to dry off first.” Takeshi gestured at a door on the right of the corridor they stood in.

 

Yuuri thanked him and entered the bathroom. He pushed his hair back away from his face again, trying to use the damp from the rain to keep it in place. He dried his face and tried to make himself look presentable, but all he could see in the mirror was the drowned rat version of himself. He sighed. Hopefully his dancing would do all the talking for him.

 

He went back out and joined the queue. He pulled his thankfully still dry CV from his bag and handed it to Nishigori who looked surprised but took it, briefly flicking through it, eyebrows raising slightly as he read through the information.

 

“I do have a portfolio at home, but I only found out about this at work and had to come straight here…” Yuuri began awkwardly.

 

“No, it’s fine. It’s all we need really for hiring practice laws. The only thing we’re really interested in is your audition.”

 

Yuuri swallowed and nodded. A man and woman came in behind him, joining the queue and chatting loudly. He heard something about props and began to panic, the sensation of being unprepared crashing over him once again. He pulled his earphones out and began listening to his own music to block out the sounds of other people in an attempt to calm down.

 

The queue slowly moved as he ran over the routine in his head and began running over alternative routines to other pieces of music while he stretched. He looked at the other people in the queue; tattoos, piercings, dramatic make-up and some interesting clothing choices. A vague memory of reading something about alternative ballet resurfaced in his mind; something about gothic and punk ballet. Maybe that’s what this company was for and Phichit hadn’t mentioned it…

 

Yuuri felt the last trickle of stubborn hope drift away on the cold draft that blew through the corridor every time the door opened as someone came or left. They’d want ballet sure, but he had no edge he could bring to it…

 

As he approached the door, next in line to audition, he removed his earphones and continued to stretch. At first he didn’t notice the music blaring from inside the audition room but then realisation hit.

 

That was not ballet or alternative ballet music he was hearing. That was stripping music, and not just any stripping music, but __the piece of stripping music.__

 

All nausea vanished as he realised he was in a strip club. Oh please no…

 

He turned to the young red-headed woman guarding the door.

 

“Excuse me, what style of…dance are you looking for in there?”

 

“Well it’s burlesque, so you can do whatever style you want as long as you take your clothes off…” She looked at Yuuri, noticing the panic on his face. “Oh don’t worry, you’ll be fine! The judges are really nice, and you can always ask them if they want anything in particular. Is this your first time?”

 

Yuuri’s heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest as he nodded. Phichit hadn’t been looking at the types of dance and assumed the whole B section was for ballet. And he had been stood in this queue for at least twenty minutes like an idiot, of course he could walk out now but then they would all know he’d been the idiot who thought that this was a ballet audition when all signs pointed to the fact that it wasn’t! He’d have to avoid the area forever, and what if they came into his shop and saw him there…

 

Backing out wasn’t an option, and his only knowledge of burlesque was a random taster class in a day where they had tried a whole range of dance styles; he and Phichit had spent the majority of the class at the back giggling at each other and spent that night looking at a few videos on the internet. Yuuri vaguely remembered a woman in a cocktail glass. And stripping, lots of stripping.

 

“Are you okay?” The woman’s voice broke through his thoughts.

 

“Yeah, sorry, just nervous…” Yuuri replied, still desperately trying to think of what to do.

 

“Look, if your mind goes blank, there’s a pole, just run your hands up and down it suggestively until something comes back to you. Or turn your back to the audience and sway your hips until you have an idea!” She smiled and mimed doing both at the same time with an over-exaggerated panicked expression on her face.

 

“There’s a pole?” Yuuri knew pole dancing at least, he just had to figure out a way to get his pants off. He vaguely remembered how the burlesque dancer took her stockings off… He could possibly blag his way through this before going home, killing Phichit and then sleeping forever and never leaving the house again…

 

“Yeah, saved my ass so many times!” The girl said with a grin. “Can you pole dance?”

 

“A bit…” Yuuri replied, finally forming a vague idea of what he needed to do to get through this.

 

“Well there you go! If you get stuck, go with that! No one here can pole dance yet! I mean, a guy teaches it here but he doesn’t perform because there’s no tease in his strip. One minute he’s clothed, the next he’s nearly naked. It’s impressive really…” She was cut off by the ringing of a bell from the room.

 

“Right, they’re ready for you! Good luck and remember what I said!” She gave him a wink and pushed the door open, giving him a gentle push into the much quieter room.


	2. B stands for...butts?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri finds his secret talents. He's the only one surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music links will begin to appear so you can hear what they're dancing to!

A shiny wooden floor stretched out in front of him, wooden tables and plush looking chairs scattered through-out, with booths lining the walls either side. To his left, the corner held a bar and a large variety of alcohol and a small neon sign above it depicting a woman in a cocktail glass while near the stage there appeared to be a small bandstand. Ahead he could see the judges, a man and a woman seated at a table in front of the small stage. The stage had a small runway projecting from the centre which held a removable pole - Yuuri remembered seeing one set up from his classes.

 

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his heart and willed his nausea to ease as he approached the judges.

 

“Hello, I’m Yuuri Katsuki. I left my CV with Mr. Nishigori outside… I’ve come from work so please excuse my clothes. I didn’t find out about this until my lunch break.” He came to a stop in front of the judges, fidgeting with his nails as he waited for a response or request. Did they want him to go straight to the stage…?

 

“Hi, I’m Yuuko, Takeshi’s wife! We own the club,” she gave him a friendly smile, holding out her hand to shake Yuuri’s. Yuuri didn’t think she looked like the type to own a burlesque club - all large doe eyes, long brown hair wearing a dark red dress that looked like it wouldn’t be out of place in an office. “Don’t worry about your clothes, we don’t mind what you wear, it’s how you take them off that counts!” This last statement was said with a small laugh. Yuuri felt his stomach lurch.

  
”Hi, I’m Chris, I teach pole-dancing classes here and give the odd performance.” The man was blond with large green eyes and distractingly long lashes. He wondered if this was who the woman on the door was referring to. He had a very calming presence and seemed like the kind of person who didn’t worry about anything. Yuuri was already jealous.

 

“Please have a seat! We just have a few questions before you audition. It’s easier to ask you questions while you’re still dressed after all!”

 

Yuuri sat down where gestured, heart - or possibly stomach - in his throat. He could feel sweat building in his palms and tried to force his hands to relax.

 

“Have you done any burlesque performances before?” Yuuko asked, pen at the ready.

 

“No, I’ve been in several small stage shows as a backing dancer and have taken a lot of classes in various dance styles including burlesque but I’ve never actually done a performance before.” Yuuri replied, hoping that they didn’t enquire too much into his burlesque training because he was sure a sample class and some online videos didn’t count. He forced himself to take a deep, slow breath.

 

“Okay, so you have stage experience. Have you ever been in a performance where you have had to remove clothing or wear little to no clothing?” Yuuko looked up front her notepad, still smiling.

 

“I’ve performed a lot of ballet over the years - that’s what I’m primarily trained in. We’re covered up but the men’s outfits are skin-tight and don’t really leave a lot to the imagination.” Well that was true at least.

 

“Ballet gives people a great ass in my experience,” Chris mentioned as casually as he might have mentioned the poor weather outside.

 

Yuuri sputtered, unsure what his response was supposed to be to that.

 

“Chris, behave!” Yuuko may have been chastising him but she still giggled. “Ignore him, Mr. Katsuki. The work would generally be Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and maybe extras if there is demand or a special occasion. You get a base rate of pay plus a share of the night’s tips between yourself and the other staff. The base rate is standard when you are given a position but can be negotiated later on if you do well. Performances start at around 9 to 10pm, sometimes you will be asked to be a support dancer in someone else’s performance if they need it and you’re likely to be here until around 2am. Takeshi and myself own the flat above so if you struggle with transport we’re happy to let performers crash in there - we do sometimes.”

 

Yuuri nodded, trying to take in the information while concentrating on his breathing. He was fairly sure the room was far warmer than it was when he entered. Maybe they had put the heating on because of the rain…

 

“How much you interact with the audience is up to you; some dancers prefer to remain on stage, others like to come down into the audience or fetch someone up on stage. We’re happy with whatever you’re comfortable with in that respect…” Yuuko trailed off, trying to think of anything else she may have missed.

 

“As this is your first time, if you get picked, I recommend speaking to Mila who was on the door or Sara, they’ll help you with finding your style,” Chris interjected. “I’m happy to help you out as well, though pole-dancing is my speciality.”

 

Yuuko nodded. “I’ll be able to help as well. We also have lots of older costumes still lying around in boxes at the back that can be cleaned up if anything takes your fancy to get you started. Do you have any questions?”

 

“How naked do you have to be exactly?” Yuuri asked. He was sure the videos he saw all still had the main parts covered but he wanted to be sure and not make any more of a fool of himself than he was about to.

 

“Well for women it’s usually a G-string and nipple pasties at least. Men can stick with a thong as well or some go naked and just use a prop like a hat to cover themselves at the end. We don’t generally show genitals if that’s what you mean? For the audition just strip down to your underwear, it’s more about how you do it.”

 

Yuuri nodded, breathing a sign of relief and feeling the tiniest bit better about the direction his life was about to take in the next few minutes. He could cope with these two people seeing his underwear, his stripping however…

 

“So do you have a song you want us to play or do you just want a popular piece?” Yuuko asked, breaking into his thoughts.

 

“Can you play the same music as the last person, please? I wasn’t able to prepare any music… Where should I put my stuff?” Yuuri stood up, lifting his bag, trying to force his stomach back down again with several deep breaths. It was definitely too warm.

 

“Oh, just place it to the right of the stage behind the curtain, you can get dressed backstage and Sara, one of our other performers will show you the way out.” She gave Yuuri a long look. “I know it’s easy for me to say, but try to relax. We’re not judging you harshly, we just want to see your skills and you can’t make a more embarrassing mistake now than those of us who’ve already performed have in the past!”

 

Yuuri gave her a small smile in reply and shuffled his way onto the stage, depositing his coat, glasses and bag out of sight behind the curtain before coming back out. He took a deep breath, telling himself that it would all be over soon and trying to recall the women from the videos he had seen that one night during university.

 

He vaguely remembered something said by their tutor in the class as they tried to perfect their poses and moves. ‘Remember, you are the most bewitching person in town, capable of bringing even the most desired person to their knees! You’re not just taking your clothes off for someone’s cheap thrills, you’re making them realise you are something they didn’t realise they needed and then you’re giving them a taste of it before cruelly whisking it away!’

 

Okay, so he just had to pretend he was the most beautiful person in town and bringing the most beautiful person in town to their knees. Sure. This was easy.

 

He nodded at Yuuko. Time to get this over with. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and tried to slip into his ex-tutor’s frame of mind. Sexiest guy in town, making Mr. Perfect realise what he really needs… He opened his eyes again at that thought, cheeks flushing as he realised what he was about to do. Okay, seduce Mr. Perfect. This was the goal as the sexiest person in town. He could do this…

 

He saw her give the thumbs up to someone he hadn’t seen and to his left he saw an unimpressed looking man with dark hair sat next to a CD player. [He pressed play.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLX06yR3wY&ytbChannel=MrPurser)

 

As the music started, Yuuri slowly pushed any remaining hair from his face, slowly rocking his hips in time with the tune. His short-sightedness combined with the stage lights meant the judges had faded into black, allowing him to pretend Mr. Perfect was sat watching instead. How would he respond if he knew Yuuri was doing this after work…

 

He ran his hands down his body, hips still rocking to the music, swinging them one way and the other when the music called for it. On each beat he eased his pants down slightly, thankful for the elastic waistband. Slowly getting into character, he let go of his pants where they now sat much lower on his hips and began to tease with the edge of his t-shirt, lifting and dropping the edges to reveal the skin of his stomach in small flashes - thankfully constantly preparing for auditions had kept him in shape.

 

He bent over, working his hands down his legs, making sure his butt was as pronounced as it could be - Mr. Giacometti wasn’t wrong after all - as he reached his shoes. Remembering something about humour in the performances he stopped, made a face at his dirty trainers as though a pair of high fashion shoes should have been covering his feet - Mr. Perfect would understand - he wouldn’t be seen dead in this trainers either. He whisked the first trainer off and flung it behind him in disgust and repeated the process with the other one. The socks he greeted in a similar way and soon managed to slowly pull them off, pretending that they were in-fact very small stockings as he stretched his leg up behind him to pull them off.

 

Now barefoot, he made his way to the pole at the front of the stage. Leaning against it, he began pretending that he was hot and bothered, pulling at the neck of his t-shirt seductively before teasing the edges again, pulling the material up in a start-stop manner in time with the music before finally pulling it over his head and slowly trailing it down his arms. He tossed it aside before climbing on the pole. The pants would have to go before he could do any serious moves but he could throw in a few spins with his hands and feet.

 

Sliding off it moments later and hearing the song coming to an end, he turned from the judges and began swaying his hips, slowly easing the waistband down over his butt, lifting it momentarily before dropping it again, silently thankful he had chosen plain black underwear today. He left the pants drop to the floor, looking scandalised for a moment before stepping out of them and stepping back onto the pole. He wrapped his legs around it and leant back dramatically, arms out wide in a finishing pose.

 

He held his pose for a moment before the clapping and cheering of the judges brought him back to reality. Climbing off the pole, he picked his pants and t-shirt up and held them protectively in front of himself as he waited for the commentary, squinting as he tried to bring the two figures into focus.

 

“Thank you, Yuuri! Did you just make that all up?” Yuuko was the first to speak, her voice bright.

 

Yuuri nodded, not sure what to say, embarrassment starting to build at an alarming rate now that the fear-induced adrenaline had worn off.

 

“Impressively done, especially with the clothes you were wearing. Those are difficult to remove with any sort of grace in a performance like this,” Chris said. “I could see a few parts where you were thinking of things to do, but it’s impressive for being made up on the spot - especially for someone new to it.” Yuuri thought he might have been smiling but wasn’t quite sure - it could also have been a grimace for all he could see.

 

“I liked that you went for a more traditional feminine burlesque style, it stands out because men tend to go for boylesque.” Yuuko spoke again.

 

Yuuri nodded, not sure what boylesque was but assuming it was the male version of burlesque.

 

“You were so nervous beforehand but you did really well once you were on stage,” Chris added in, “it’s like you became a different person.”

 

Yuuri could have laughed and cried, was tempted to start doing both that very second. He finally gets his stage presence right and it’s when he’s taking his clothes off in front of complete strangers. Apparently his days of drinking too much in university were trying to tell him something.

 

“We’ve got a few more auditions but we’ll be in touch in he next few days to let you know, okay?” Yuuko said with a smile.

 

“Okay, thank you.” Yuuri bowed and collected his belongings from the stage and stepped behind the curtain where he began to pull his clothes back on again.

 

“You did really well winging it!” As he was pulling his t-shirt on a young woman with long dark hair greeted him, handing him his glasses with a smile. “That was really good for a first timer!”

 

“Thank you, I just remembered something a teacher once said and some videos I saw…” Yuuri said, beginning the process of bundling himself up ready to face the elements and his own sense of shame.

 

“I’m Sara by the way, I am one of the performers here. I hope you get it, you’re the cutest guy we’ve had in so far and your facial expressions were great! You looked so sexy!”

 

Yuuri blushed furiously, he hadn’t expected compliments once he got off stage…or on it come to think of it.

 

“Good luck!” Sara waved him off as he thanked her and left, following the route she had directed him.

 

He thanked Takeshi on the way past and then made his way back to the bus stop. The journey home was a blur. On the one hand he was annoyed and angry with Phichit for sending him here without looking at the advert properly, but on the other hand he had actually found a way to get through his nerves on stage and as much as he hated to admit it, hearing positive comments from judges made a nice change…

 

However, when he got back to the flat, he had one item of business to take care of.

 

“Phichit!”

 

“Aah, Yuuri” How did it go?” Phichit appeared from his room, apparently completely unaware of what he had just put his best friend through.

 

“It was a burlesque audition, Phichit! Burlesque!” Yuuri waved his hands around, finally in a comfortable enough place that all the stress of the past couple of hours came pouring out.

 

Phichit looked confused for a moment before giggling. “Sorry, Yuuri! I didn’t realise! I’ll pay you the bus fare for a wasted journey!”

 

Yuuri was annoyed, his friend should be a bit more apologetic about this!

 

“You should have gone for it anyway, Yuuri! It’d be a change!”

 

“ _ _I did, Phichit.__  I took my clothes off in front of complete strangers because by the time I realised what it was it was too late and if I had walked out I would have looked like an idiot! And do you know what they said? THAT MY NERVES VANISHED WHEN I WAS ON STAGE! What the hell is my problem?”

 

Yuuri collapsed on the couch, suddenly exhausted. Phichit blinked several times.

 

“So they said you were good at it?”

 

“They didn’t say I was good, they just said my nerves didn’t show when I was on stage and I did well with that I was wearing.”

 

“...So my bff Yuuri is going to be a burlesque dancer?”

 

“I’m not! And I’m not your bff right now for putting me through that!” Yuuri pouted again, grabbing a cushion and folding his arms around it.

 

“I’ll remember that the next time I cook…” Phichit replied with an air of pretend offence.

 

Yuuri grumbled into the cushion.

 

“Well, Yuuri. I think we should celebrate! It may not have been the dance style you were expecting,” Yuuri snorted at this and was promptly ignored, “but if you conquered your anxiety on stage that’s a big step!”

 

“I didn’t conquer it though, I just pretended I was someone else for a while…” Yuuri replied.

 

“You still went on stage and did a dance with no detectable nervousness. That is a breakthrough, Yuuri!” Phichit began raiding the cupboard on the hunt for alcohol.

 

Yuuri groaned but left Phichit to it. His friend possibly had a point. Now was the time to drink the memories away - maybe if he drank enough he could wipe the whole experience from his mind.

 

 

 

The next day passed with no comment, Yuuri had done his best to put the audition out of his mind and returned to his safe and normal day job and they fell back into a comfortable routine. On Saturday morning as they ate breakfast and watched cartoons, Yuuri’s phone began to ring, the screen flashing up with an unknown number.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi, is that Yuuri Katsuki?” A woman’s voice asked.

 

“Speaking.”

 

“Hi, it’s Yuuko Nishigori from Yuphoria, just wanted to let you know that if you are still interested, we’d love for you to come and work for us! We’ll let you have some practice and lessons if you want and help you get started with you being new, but you definitely have a good stage presence! I bet you’ll be amazing once you find your feet!”

 

Yuuri opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to respond. Phichit who had muted the TV was listening in. Hearing Yuuko ask if Yuuri was still there, Phichit stole the phone from him.

 

“Hi, my name’s Phichit, I’m Yuuri’s friend. He would love the job! He’s just a bit speechless at the moment!”

 

“Great! If you want you’re both welcome to come and watch a show tonight! Then you can see some of the different styles. We’ve hired another man as well who will be performing.”

 

“That sounds great, we’ll do that!”

 

They agreed a time and then hung up, Yuuri blankly watching the conversation happen in front of him.

 

“Well, Yuuri! We have some research to do!”

 

Yuuri stood up and went back to bed, ignoring Phichit banging on his door.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chris arrives! So of course I had to mention butts.


	3. B is for...beer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Phichit go to the club so they can see what the show is all about. Yuuri decides that if he's going down, he's taking Phichit with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A filler chapter in a way but you get to see what everyone else is up to! Except more musical links in the text.

That night, after several hours of coaxing from Phichit and end-of-the-world scenarios from Yuuri, they finally arrived at the club. Yuuri was still wondering why he had agreed to come and why he hadn’t phoned back straight away to pull back out, meanwhile Phichit was almost bouncing off the walls in excitement. Both had dressed more respectably in trousers and shirts with blazers at Phichit’s insistence - a burlesque club demanded they not show up in their day wear, surely!

 

Takeshi stood on the door waving people through to the ticket office, once he saw Yuuri he cracked a grin.

 

“Congratulations, how are you feeling?”

 

“...I don’t know…” Yuuri had no idea how to respond and was fairly sure his face answered for him.

 

“Don’t worry, everyone is nervous at first! Yuuko and the girls will help you and we have another new person as well, though he’s starting tonight as he already has experience. Just go straight through and find yourselves a seat and enjoy! Is this your friend who spoke to Yuuko on the phone?”

 

Phichit stuck his hand out. “Yes! I’m Phichit Chulanont, Yuuri’s best friend and flatmate! Pleasure to meet you!”

 

Takeshi nodded and shook Phichit’s hand before waving them through.

 

Yuuri studied the hallway this time, the lights were dimmed, the walls decorated in an oldish style wallpaper - probably what classed as fashionable vintage and music and the sound of voices blared from the room ahead. It was darker this time, lights on the floor dimmed except for a few scattered spotlights with only the stage and bar brightly lit. The club appeared to be around half full, with an equal mix of men and women. A couple of men sat at the bar having drinks, one looked distinctly unimpressed as he faced away from the stage but his friend seemed much happier, chatting away at the other man without pause. A group of several women crowded round some tables near the front, talking loudly with a mass of multicoloured drinks covering the surfaces of their tables. The dark-haired man he had seen the other day was stood on the band stand, though this time he was surrounded by musicians and looked slightly more animated, though his face still held the same serious expression.

 

Phichit pulled him into one of the plush booths, the seats angled so that both parties could see the stage without craning their necks.

 

“What drink do you want, Yuuri?”

 

“Water, please.” Yuuri didn’t think he could stomach anything else just yet, even the thought of being on the stage in a few weeks made him feel ill.

 

“I’ll fetch you water and one alcoholic drink. Come on, Yuuri! You know it’ll help you relax…” Phichit began whining.

 

“It’ll take more than one drink to make me relax and you know it,” Yuuri stated.

 

“But more than one and you might end up on that stage tonight!” Phichit grinned.

 

Yuuri paused. He couldn’t remember a single thing, but the photographic evidence of his drunken university shenanigans proved that with enough alcohol in his system his clothes began to get left behind with alarming speed. Just one drink.

 

“Fine, one drink! Whatever you’re having.”

 

“Excellent!” Phichit disappeared to the bar.

 

Yuuri spotted Yuuko making her way across the bar, giving him a little wave as she approached.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Nervous…” Yuuri decided not to lie, Yuuko and Chris had seen his nerves at the audition anyway.

 

“You’ll do great, a little prep and an outfit that’s easier to remove and you’ll do so well! You can do some run throughs here as well while we’re closed - the staff can be the audience to get you used to it! If you want you can start off with some of the pair performances we have. We’ve been meaning to try some pair and group performances but we’ve never really had enough dancers for it, and now we have two men so this will give us the chance to branch out a bit! You’ll be stripping at the drop of a hat before you know it!” She gave an encouraging smile, easing Yuuri’s nerves slightly. Performing with someone else sounded like it would be the best way to start and having a few practice runs would be better…

 

“Have you ever done burlesque dancing before?” Yuuri asked, since Yuuko seemed to enjoy it and had made a comment about performing at his interview.

 

“I did when I was a bit younger! Now I have triplets to care for, so it makes practice and performing a bit harder when Takeshi is generally here to be security - not that we’ve ever needed it mind, he just checks people in at the door and takes money - my parents watch the girls some nights while we’re here but now that we’ve taken over there’s always something else for us to do. Usually I do the introductions on stage as well, though on quieter nights Otabek - the DJ over there - usually does them. So I’ve taken a back seat and then Chris fills in with his pole dancing on quieter nights if one of the girls is away.”

 

“So has it just been…Mila and Sara? And Chris performing recently?”

 

“Yeah, they are the regulars. We host other groups from the surrounding areas and small burlesque tours sometimes as well, and then there are several dance classes that use the premises during the week. Chris runs the pole-dancing classes as you know, and Mila runs a burlesque class - I’m sure she’d be happy to tutor you by the way - and several other dance classes run in the week as well. We’ve been wanting to branch out for a while now but we wanted to make sure our finances were stable before we started offering more jobs - don’t want to hire people if we have to drop them again soon after.”

 

Yuuri nodded, the owners sounded sensible and caring at least.

 

A thought occurred to him.

 

“You say you’re the MC sometimes, have you ever thought about hiring one for all performances?”

 

“We had thought about it, actually. Otabek is fine but he’s not very lively when he talks and I can’t be here all the time and Takeshi doesn’t like being on stage. So we thought about getting dancers in and settled first before we start bringing an MC in, then whoever it is can get to know the acts before they start.”

 

Phichit arrived carrying two beers at that moment. Yuuri clapped a hand on his shoulder.

 

“My friend Phichit has extensive experience on presentation for a variety of events and works really well in front of a crowd! He would make a great MC!”

 

Phichit blinked at them both for a moment and then turned to Yuuko. “I’m a great MC, and if you’re looking I would be amazing!”

 

Yuuko laughed again. “You’re confident. Fine, while you’re here, I want you to watch the acts and tell me how you’d introduce them later on. After the first part of the show, I’ll be expecting a full audition!”

 

“Consider it done!” Phichit gave her the thumbs up.

 

“Okay, I’ll leave you boys to the show, it’s time for me to go backstage and make sure everyone’s make-up and costumes are in the right places! Enjoy the show!”

 

She waved and made her way back through the crowds to a side door, vanishing out of sight.

 

“Did you just get me a job, Yuuri? How amazing would that be if we both got to work here! Then I can help you when you’re nervous!” Phichit clapped his hands, bouncing in his seat.

 

“When do you ever help me when I’m nervous?” Yuuri asked. He was sure Phichit helped him sometimes, but his primary method seemed to be to irritate him to the point that he forgot his original source of stress.

 

“All the time! You just don’t realise that I’m helping!”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes, taking a sip of the drink Phichit had bought for him. The conversation had settled his stomach slightly and he knew Phichit’s presence would help calm him down if he took the job.

 

The spotlights dimmed and audience members began to cheer, a few wolf whistles echoing throughout the room as people settled into their seats. The musicians suddenly seemed to begin tuning their instruments louder than before, providing the musical equivalent of tapping a spoon on a wine glass. Yuuko appeared on stage in a sparkly dress, and with what Yuuri now thought of as her trademark smile. In the few minutes backstage her make-up appeared to have been made more dramatic, her hair was now down and flowing over her shoulders and her outfit completely different. Yuuri thought that that might actually be more impressive than Chris’ apparent speed-strip abilities.

 

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen! How are you doing this evening?” A few cheers, including one from Phichit graced the club. Yuuko seemed disappointed.

 

“I said, how are you doing this fine evening??” She held her hand up to her ear, waiting for a louder response which she got moments later.

 

“That’s better! Now I hope you’re geared up for our first act, our lovely little songbird miss Bella Ti Amo!” Cheers and clapping filled the club, much louder this time as the young woman Yuuri recognised as Sara took the stage in a long red dress with matching gloves. Her hair was tied back in a bun to show off the choker and earrings that she wore - Yuuri briefly wondered how much they cost, because even though he was no expert, they certainly looked expensive. How much money did they make from this…?

 

[A harp sounded](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXjZeCL0C9o&ytbChannel=PostmodernJukebox) from somewhere and Sara began to sing.

 

“Dear, I fear we’re facing a problem. You love me no longer…”

 

Yuuri recognised the song, though this seemed to be a slower version of it. A moment later the music picked up as Sara began to peel a glove from her hand, pulling the fingers loose with small calculated movements.

 

“Love me, love me, say that you love me…” The music paused, as did Sara. When nothing happened she began tapping her foot on the floor. With a dramatic sigh, the hand which had been removing the other glove started gesturing for the audience to make some noise.

 

A few cheers sounded out. Sara sighed again.

 

“Love me, love me, __say that you love me,”__  this time the audience began cheering, some men from the back of the club began yelling the desired phrase.

 

This seemed to appease Sara and she began singing again, the band restarting as the performance continued. Yuuri watched as each glove was slowly pulled off to maximum effect on the audience. Soon she reached her hands down to her stomach and suddenly pulled what Yuuri now realised was a skirt open on one side, closing it just as quickly, despite the cheers in the audience. She sauntered across the stage, opening the other side of the skirt for a brief moment before snapping it closed again.

 

Finally, after rocking her hips in a final teasing movement as she sang, she opened the front of the skirt and let it trail behind her, revealing red stockings and tiny thong with a black garter belt. The cheers in the audience began to pick up. A stool that stood to the side of the stage allowed Sara to remove the shoes and stockings with minimal effort, slowly rolling the fine material down her tanned legs to the sound of the group of women cheering. Legs bare, the next item to go was the corset, being popped open little by little until her matching bra and suspender belt was revealed. The suspender belt was dealt with quickly. For the finale, she turned her back to the audience, still singing as she unhooked her bra, using one arm to cover herself while dramatically dropping the bra to the floor.

 

With a cheeky grin now on her face, she sashayed across the stage, still singing, only her arm covering her breasts.

 

“I don’t care ‘bout anything but you,” as she held the last note she finally moved her arms to the air, revealing red nipple pasties, with a shoulder jiggle she laughed and the stage went dark.

 

The audience cheered, Yuuri and Phichit enthusiastically joining in. The performance had been good, great even - he hadn’t realised there was singing involved. Phichit finished cheering and began scribbling on a napkin with some notes - introduction lines for his interview from what Yuuri could make out.

 

“That was really good, Yuuri! You could sing as well! You’ve always had a nice singing voice!” Phichit’s grin appeared to have gotten even wider in his excitement.

 

“One step at a time, Phichit…” Yuuri turned back to the stage as Yuuko reappeared.

 

“Let’s hear it for Bella Ti Amo, don’t you just love her?”

 

The audience knew the routine this time and a loud cheer and applause sounded out through the club.

 

“Now for our next act, Ruby Rum! Give a hand for this gorgeous lady!”

 

This time the band stayed quiet and a pre-recorded track played. The stage lit back up, with Mila sprawled over a chair, with something that Yuuri knew was supposed to resemble a nurse’s uniform, but he was fairly sure the shoes she was wearing would not be allowed in a hospital.

 

[“I’ve got a dentist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z265O2FcNKY&ytbChannel=massibgd), who’s over seven feet tall…” Mila mimed convincingly, stretching and draping over the chair, highlighting her curves with her hands. In a similar fashion to Sara she began to remove her own clothes, pausing to emphasise particular lyrics. Yuuri wondered why she was singing about dentists in a burlesque club, surely the lyrics mattered as much as the stripping…

 

“He took out his trusty drill, and told me to open wide,” With this Mila snapped her legs wide into a split.

 

“He said he wouldn’t hurt me but he’d fill my whole inside,” Yuuri finally caught onto the meaning of the song, and glanced over at Phichit who was staring in awe at the stage while also clearly laughing and clapping at the song choice.

 

Soon Mila was standing in a silver thong and pasties, bouncing up and down enthusiastically to make the tassels spin, the audience hooting and cheering. Some of the women near the stage were stood up and jumping up and down in time with her. With a wink at the audience, Mila strutted from the stage.

 

“Well I might have to give this Dr. Longjohn a visit in the future!” Yuuko said with a laugh as she came back on stage. “Give it up again for Ruby Rum!”

 

Another cheer and applause.

  
”So for our final act for this first set before our wonderful band take over for a while, we have a newcomer! He’s new to the area after travelling all the way from from Canada so I hope you all give him a round of applause and a warm welcome! Please give it up for Hardy Goldenrod!”

 

[As the music started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7NENSbrSl4&ytbChannel=Katie%27s%20channel), a tall, good-looking man with short, dark hair and a Hollywood grin came onto stage. He strutted with absolute confidence - Yuuri wondered if there was anyone in this building he wasn’t going to be envious of - in a fitted black suit, looking for all intents and purposes as if he was going to his own wedding.

 

Yuuri watched fascinated as he managed to make a show out of removing each and every item of clothing, every single button seemed to have a beat to be opened on. The jacket and waistcoat came off fairly easily, the shirt cuffs were unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled back with purpose, the small exposure of skin causing the women in the audience to cheer, while some of the men clapped half-heartedly, apparently not sure what the protocol was for cheering for another man. Phichit and eventually Yuuri took it upon themselves to make up for the quiet men in the audience - they all deserved applause after all!

 

The man stepped off the stage and over to the group of women, gesturing for one of them to remove his tie. The woman he chose grabbed him by the tie and pulled him down so their faces were close, holding the man’s eye contact as she loosened his tie, eventually sliding it from around his neck.

 

He flung it aside as he stepped back onto stage, his shoes, socks and belt soon following. As he moved to his shirt buttons the pitch of the cheers in the rooms rose again and soon the item had been smoothly removed and flung aside. The belt and finally after a lot of teasing and requests for more cheering, the trousers were removed, leaving Hardy in what seemed an impossibly small thong for a man and Yuuri was half convinced that one wrong move would lead to a wardrobe malfunction.

 

He left the stage with a wave and several blown kisses to the group of women before Yuuko reappeared.

 

“Well I think that was a great opening performance! Please give it up again for Hardy Goldenrod!”

 

The room cheered, some of the men seeming to be happier to applaud him now that he was gone.

 

“I hope you’ve enjoyed the first set, everyone! Now our dancers are going to have a little break while the band entertains you, and I’m sure you’ve all worked up a thirst from those performances!”

 

The small spotlights on the floor lit up again and people began to make their way to the bar. Phichit jotted some more notes down.

 

“Do you want another drink, Phichit?” Yuuri asked, deciding that one more couldn’t hurt and he definitely felt more relaxed than he had done before the first one.

 

“Yes, please! Same again!” Phichit was now dutifully looking through the notes he had made and was making adjustments when Yuuko appeared.

  
”Enjoy the show, boys?”

 

Yuuri and Phichit nodded.

 

“I didn’t realise there was singing involved, I’d seen some people miming before but never singing.” Yuuri said.

 

“Yeah, there are a few who sing and if you’re able we’re more than happy for you to do so! If you want to make a slower cover of something, just speak to Otabek and he’ll help arrange the music for you,” Yuuko replied.

 

“I think I’ll just start with dancing…” Yuuri said. One thing at a time and taking his clothes off was going to be challenge enough.

 

“Well I wondered if you wanted to come back stage and see the stuff we have! We have some old boxes full of outfits and props, so if there’s anything you’d like to start with grab away! I’m sure the girls will be happy to give you advice as well.” She turned to Phichit. “I hope you’ve got your audition ready?”

 

“Ready and waiting!” Phichit and Yuuri climbed out of the booth and followed Yuuko across the club and through the stage door and into another corridor. This one was plainer than the first and several doors seemed to be gathered at the end, including one with a large sign stating ‘Stage Door’.

 

“So this is the office where we have all our paperwork and where you can find me or Takeshi if you need something. Staff toilets over there and the dressing rooms are back here!” Yuuko pushed a door open to reveal a smaller corridor with three more doors. The first door was decorated with two small heart-shaped signs with Sara and Mila’s stage names written on them and the next two were plain.

  
”Well we put JJ in here since the girls have their own room, so this one at the end is your dressing room if you want it? Phichit can use this one too. It needs a clean out because it’s just become a bit of storage space for now.” Yuuko pushed the door open and switched the light on, revealing a room full of various plastic lidded tubs and cardboard boxes. The room was bigger than Yuuri had thought and would leave plenty of space for both him and Phichit.

 

“We’ve got a clothes rail and a desk and we can find a mirror for you, but anything else you want to add go right ahead. Now, Phichit? I’m gonna take your auditions while I’m here!” Yuuko sat on a pile of tubs, gesturing for Yuuri to join her.

 

As Phichit cleared his throat, Mila appeared in the doorway, dressed in a long black and pink dress.

 

“Can we borrow Yuuri from you for a minute? We’ll give him back in one piece, we promise!” She winked at him and held out her hand, dragging him into their changing room moments later, leaving Phichit to his audition.

 

“Hi, Yuuri!” Sara was sat at a dressing table and turned once she saw Yuuri in the mirror, her red dress had now been replaced with a blue one.

 

Yuuri waved awkwardly at her as he stepped into the room and glanced around. This room seemed a far cry from his current one; the walls had been painted pink and the room had been filled with a large dressing table that housed a large mirror surrounded by lights and what Yuuri thought was probably an entire factory worth of make-up, fronted by two ornate looking chairs. A folding screen stood to one side next to a rail packed full of clothing, with some plastic tubs - with pink lids of course - underneath full of what seemed to be underwear and corsets. A white chaise lounge stood at the other side of the room with a small coffee table and a vase that held a bouquet of roses. The bare floor of the corridor gave way to a plush, dusky pink carpet.

 

Overall the room looked like some kind of strawberry dessert.

 

“Do you like it? Ooh! Me and Sara can give you a hand decorating your room if you want! What colours do you like? I like a good makeover!” Mila started, clapping her hands in a way that reminded Yuuri of Phichit. Phichit would fit in just fine but Yuuri was now concerned about the trouble he could cause with someone who was like-minded.

 

“Aah, it’s fine! I only need to get changed in there… I just need to clear it out….” Yuuri was still telling himself that he would probably not take the job so why give them work to do.

 

“Nonsense! You need to have a nice room to get ready in, it helps you get in character!” Sara interjected.

 

“No, really, it’s fine…” Yuuri stopped talking as Sara sighed, pouting at him. “I don’t want to put anyone out…”

 

“You’re not putting anyone out! We’re finding every excuse we can get to redecorate this place! We want to get this corridor done as well, and have a star on the main door to tell everyone where the stars of this show live!”

 

“Well I like blue, and Phichit does as well…” Yuuri started. He would just have to help them when the time came.

 

“Phichit? Is that your friend? Is he working here?” Mila interrupted.

 

“Well he’s applying to be the MC, he’s done stuff like this before for local fairs and shows and Yuuko mentioned that she wanted one…”

 

“Aah, excellent! Then Yuuko can relax…or get back on stage with us!” Mila grinned. “We can finally make the schoolgirl performance a reality!” Yuuri decided not to ask what the schoolgirl performance was.

 

“I hope he gets it! Is he any good?” Sara asked, nodding, face lighting up at the idea of whatever performance they were talking about.

 

“Phichit’s really good!” Now this was something Yuuri could talk about. “He’s really outgoing and confident, and can make a joke out of anything. When you were performing he was writing ideas down. I can picture him being the MC in a place like this…”

 

“It’s almost like we have a full show now, we just need to work on some routines. But, Yuuri!” Mila stopped and put her hands on Yuuri’s shoulders. “We need to discuss so many things with you! Your look? Stage name? If you want help putting some performances together we can help you get started!”

 

Yuuri opened and closed his mouth several times as reality began to sink in. “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that…”

 

“Well give it some thought. You danced more conventionally than boylesque, do you think you want that to go with your look too? I bet you’d look good in a dress and some make-up!”

 

“I… uh…” Yuuri felt his brain short-circuiting.

 

“If you’re worried about other people, make-up is the best way - that way no-one will recognise you when you’re out and about. I know! If you give us your address, me and Sara can fetch a bunch of old stuff round for you to try, and we can do some make-up for you! And show you how to apply it, though I’m sure Yuuko will be happy to help as well.” Mila nodded as though the matter was settled. “Where do you live? Are you free next Sunday?”

 

“Yuuri! I’ve got the job! We’re working together!” Phichit appeared in the doorway with a knock followed by Yuuko.

 

“Girls, you’re on soon! I hope you’re not scaring Yuuri!” Yuuko gave them a clap to get them back to their mirrors.

 

“Of course we aren’t! Hello, Phichit! Glad to have you on board!” Sara was the first to talk as she began touching up her make-up. “We’re gonna make your room look nice!”

 

“I was just saying to Yuuri, that if he’s free this weekend, me and Sara could come over and fetch some of our old stuff and make-up and have a makeover session so Yuuri can decide on a look.”

 

Phichit glanced at Yuuri who now looked decidedly ill - reality had hit.

 

“Right, ladies. I need these two back to go over all the paperwork,” Yuuko put a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder and steered him and Phichit back out of the room and through into the office.

Sitting them down into chairs, Yuuko raided her drawers and began to gather an alarming amount of paper.

 

“Right, these are contracts, these are general club policies and rules, here are the forms for your personal details. Please read and fill everything in, I’ll need to go back out and begin introducing everyone soon. I’ll send Takeshi in to check on you shortly, okay?”

 

“Got it!” Phichit gave a small salute while Yuuri nodded, beginning to leaf through the piles of paper.

 

They sat in silence, only speaking to get clarification on anything they were unsure of.

 

“Look at this one! ‘No sex in the back rooms, this is a cabaret show not a brothel!’ You hear that, Yuuri? No fetching Mr. Perfect back and knocking one out in your dressing room!”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri’s face flushed. “As if I would do that! And I don’t want him knowing I’m working here!”

 

Phichit giggled madly. “You’re gonna be like a superhero! Quiet shop assistant by day, sexual temptation himself by night! Saving Gotham by bringing the villains to their knees!”

 

“Stop reminding me, Phichit! I still don’t know if I’m even going to do this…” As he finished his sentence, he reached the part of his contract that dealt with his pay and fell silent.

 

“What-?” Phichit looked over to see what Yuuri was looking at and his eyes widened. “Yuuri…”

 

“This is more than I make in a month at the store!” Yuuri said, staring at the average weekly income in front his mind already planning on all the things he could do with the money, including paying off student loans and giving some money back to his family.

 

He and Phichit looked at each other in silence.

 

“I’m going to do it!”

 

“Yay, Yuuri! The pay part in my contract is blank, but I assume that’s because they haven’t had an MC before. It won’t be as much as yours but this is exciting!” Phichit was almost buzzing, and the prospects of paying off the looming student loans filled Yuuri with a quiet excitement.

 

The two men sifted through the papers with slightly more energy than before, filling in the relevant boxes and signing where indicated. They sat back, papers in order and began planning on what the money would be spent on when Takeshi appeared.

 

“Sorry I took a while,” he collected the papers and began paper-clipping relevant ones together.

 

“Phichit, can you drop a CV with references in at some point? Just to clarify your past experience.” Phichit nodded. “Other than that, you boys are free to hang around for the rest of the night. Phichit, you can start next week if you want to all being well. Yuuri, as this is your first gig and Yuuko said you don’t have a lot of experience, you can start next month so you have time to get some routines together. Yuuko is happy to help and I’m sure Mila and Sara will be more than helpful too.” He nodded to show the two they could leave and handed them a card with his and Yuuko’s numbers on it. “Any problems just give us a call.”

 

They said their thanks and left. As they were about to head back to the club, Sara stuck her head out of the dressing room area.

 

“Aah, Yuuri! We need your address! You said next Sunday was okay, didn’t you?” Yuuri felt the sick feeling creeping into his stomach again.

 

“Yes! Here, me and Yuuri live together so here’s the address…” Sara jotted it into her phone as Phichit gave her the bus numbers as well as directions.

 

“We’ll have a big clean out and fetch a load of make-up over. There’s loads of videos online to give you a feel for what you want to do. If you want a hand with choreographies or moves, we’ll help you with that too! Welcome to the family!” She gave both men a hug and then vanished back into her room with a smile and a wave.

 

“Everyone here is really nice, Yuuri!” He swung his arm over Yuuri’s shoulders. “Now do you want to stay or would you rather go home and pretend this didn’t happen for a few hours?”

 

The look on Yuuri’s face answered him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Mila, please give Yuuri a chance to breathe! He is a nervous man! They just really want to give someone or something a makeover...
> 
> Expect the next chapter next weekend - sadly I have three assignments all due in on friday so I wasn't able to do anything other than edit this chapter! The next one is half written though so that'll be about on Saturday night/Sunday.
> 
> If you are enjoying this please let me know with comments! They fuel me and keep me alive throughout these trying academic writing times!


	4. B is for brand new names!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a little help, Yuuri finally finds his stage persona.

The next morning, Phichit took it upon himself to lure Yuuri away from his bed with the promise of katsudon.

 

“We got jobs, Yuuri! Technically this is a win!”

 

“I don’t think my mother would cook me my favourite meal for getting a job as a stripper!” Yuuri’s voice could be heard from inside his room, a slight muffle suggesting he was buried under his duvet.

 

“Well I’m your bff, and I say you have earned it! You got a job as a cabaret performer on your first try with almost no experience! That’s natural talent my friend! And think of the money! I’ll be there to help you out as well!”

 

No response from Yuuri. Phichit sighed.

 

“Look, you don’t have to take the job. No one is going to think any less of you if you decide not to.”

 

“I know, but everyone was so nice and welcoming…” A muffled reply.

 

“They can be as nice as they want, but if you’re not comfortable you don’t have to do it!” He was a fan of pushing Yuuri’s boundaries, but not if it was going to make him miserable.

 

Phichit heard some shuffling and the door finally opened.

 

“I’m not comfortable doing __anything__  though. I love ballet but when people - judges especially - are watching it’s terrifying. At least this time I actually had a positive result…” Yuuri didn’t look miserable at least and to Phichit he sounded more annoyed than anything else.

 

“Well think of it this way, if you decide to do this job, when you audition for ballet in future, it’ll be so much easier - if you can get comfortable with burlesque performances, then ballet will be a piece of cake. Just imagine those judges are in your club and boom! Seduced!”

 

Yuuri couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think most ballet performances don’t want me to seduce the audience…”

 

“Well metaphorically, you made these judges love you over a big queue of other people - you’ll be able to do it to the audiences at the club - and you’ll have me to warm them up of course. Once you’ve learned to do that, you just tailor your performances and pretend you’re at the club again - maybe keep your tights on though.” Phichit grinned. “You’ll be amazing, Yuuri! Just you wait!”

 

Yuuri sighed. “Amazing might be an overstatement - as long as I am good enough to keep working there and people don’t hate me.”

 

“Good idea, Yuuri. Set the bar low, less stress that way! Now how about that katsudon?”

 

“It feels so wrong to have it as a victory dish for getting this job, imagine what my mom would say…” Yuuri’s stomach rumbled, apparently unconcerned with the question of morality he was facing.

 

“You have to have your rebellious teenage years eventually. This could be the time! Rebel, Yuuri! Eat the katsudon for all victories, not just parent approved ones!” Phichit put his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders and began gently shaking him. “Carpe katsudon. Seize the katsudon!”

 

“Okay, fine, we’ll have katsudon for dinner. I’ll need to get the ingredients though…” Yuuri began running a shopping list through his head, ignoring Phichit.

 

Maybe he could do this after all. Maybe. Until then he could focus on dinner and the fact that he was back at work shortly.

 

Phichit let Yuuri go and moved to the kitchen to begin making tea, leaving Yuuri to make his cereal as he peered in the cupboards, making a mental list of the ingredients he would need for that evening. As the green tea was placed in front of him, Phichit grabbed his laptop.

 

“So I started looking up videos and stuff last night, and most of it is pretty similar - and a lot are actually pretty funny! I even saw one woman who set her nipple tassels on fire! There’s a movie as well, and I found a lot of music I thought might be useful…”

 

Phichit began raiding his bookmarks while Yuuri stared blankly at the screen; he was sure there was some law against watching videos of people stripping over breakfast but Phichit was only being helpful…

 

They ended up watching several videos, several were shades of the previous night; a playful, sometimes funny show and despite his misgivings, Yuuri ended up enjoying the performances - if he could reach that level of confidence he was fairly sure he’d be able to do anything. Phichit appeared to be making notes - performance ideas he told Yuuri - while they watched. As he watched a woman implore the audience for more applause before removing another item of clothing, he thought back to the men from the club the night before; they hadn’t seemed as impressed with seeing a man on stage.

 

“Phichit, I just realised, the applause and everything from last night, a bunch of the audience didn’t seem to like the new man there… they’ll probably get annoyed if another man joins him on stage as well…”

 

“Well if they don’t like it those men will just leave and be replaced with people who do. Yuuko knows what she’s doing and if she thinks you and that other guy are the right choice then you are! And if they don’t cheer enough I’ll heckle them!” Phichit finished proudly. “Once I have the mic, they have to do what I say!”

 

“Does Yuuko realise how much power she’s letting you have with that mic?” Yuuri asked, visions of Phichit hanging signs on quiet audience members to be publicly shamed on instagram.

 

“Probably not?” Phichit grinned. “I wonder if the club has an instagram or facebook…”

 

Yuuri finished his tea as Phichit began searching for any details of the club.

 

“I’d better go get ready for work,” Yuuri said, receiving a nod of acknowledgement from Phichit as he dumped his bowl and mug into the sink for later. After a quick shower he got dressed and then headed back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

 

“Would you believe they have no accounts anywhere? There’s a website that gets updated sporadically and that’s it.” Phichit declared, sounding mildly horrified at the prospect as he made his own lunch.

 

“They probably want to keep it mysterious…” Yuuri suggested, knowing he was fighting a loosing battle.

 

“You can have social media and still be mysterious! It’s all in how you use it, and not to mention I saw posters for three separate events being held at that club that are not on the website! They need to up their advertising game! When we go next I’ll see if they want me to set something up…” Phichit began mumbling to himself and Yuuri left him to it. While entertainment was his passion, it seemed to go hand in hand with social media presence and was something Phichit was second-to-none in. At university, Phichit had been the go-to social media guy; events that in previous years just about broke even were suddenly selling out thanks to the insane amount of networking he was able to do.

 

Not to mention the thousands of followers.

 

If he was let loose on the club’s website, Yuuri was sure the club would be selling out in no time. Which would be great for the club, but…

 

“Phichit,” Yuuri interrupted Phichit’s mumbling.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Save the social media storm for when I get comfortable, okay? I don’t want to start to sold out nights every night, let me screw my performances up while it’s quiet.”

 

“Aww, Yuuri! You have so much faith in me! I will make sure that place is packed out though by the time I’m done…”

 

Yuuri laughed as he clipped the lid onto his bento box. “I’m sure you will, just not straight away please. Now see you later, have fun at work!”

 

“You too, Yuuri! Think of me as I get stuck behind the entertainment counter trying to get rid of kids trying to buy DVDs and games they’re too young for!”

 

“Think of me in the chilled veg aisle telling people that no, we don’t have fresh spinach with a sell by date that’s three weeks from now. Hi ho,” Yuuri finished.

 

“Hi hoooo,” Phichit joined in.

 

“It’s off to work we go!” A chorus this time. Yuuri wasn’t sure when this started but it was routine now. The day it had started had some how led to a debate as to who was which dwarf which quickly turned into their first and last argument.

 

Yuuri bundled up and made his way to the bus. Trying to picture copying the women in the videos in his head. He flicked through the music on his phone, looking for something that provided a beat he could dance to. He’d have to start practising in his room, and probably lock the door so Phichit couldn’t watch…

 

As he settled into work his mind was kept occupied solely by thinking of a routine. He had always found this an easy way to plan ballet routines and removing the audience from the equation let his mind focus on the ins and outs of dance moves and ways to remove his clothing in with a detached focus.

 

“Ah, good morning!”

 

Yuuri almost leapt out of his skin.

 

“Good morning!” The habitual reply kicked in, hopefully hiding the fact that he was sure he had just had a minor heart attack.

 

“How are you today?” Yuuri took a moment to process the question, his mind not prepared for a second exposure to Mr.Perfect in less than a week.

 

“Fine, thank you,” he finally answered when the other man began looking a little worried and seemed ready to repeat the question. “And you?”

 

“I’m good! Still busy, working this weekend to catch up with some orders. Thought I’d do some cooking tonight so I’m not just eating microwave meals after work…” He lifted his vegetable filled basket slightly to emphasise his point. Yuuri was glad to see there was no pineapple. “You were in a world of your own just then, thinking about anything good?”

 

Yuuri blinked, he hadn’t realised he was so out of it, maybe that’s why customers had been leaving him alone…

 

“No, well, I had an audition a few days ago and I got the job so I was just thinking about it…”

 

“Well done!” Good lord his mouth was shaped like a heart, this man could not be human. “Where will you be working? Are you leaving here?”

 

“Aah, it’s just a small local show for the Christmas period,” Yuuri said, lying through his teeth and now wishing he hadn’t said anything, “I will still be working here as well.”

 

“Which one? I’ll be sure to come see it!” Mr. Perfect looked so eager at that moment, blue eyes shining as he waited for an answer that Yuuri almost felt bad lying to him.

 

“Well it’s a secret for now and I don’t know what the exact show dates are or even where yet so I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything…” Yuuri gave a small apologetic smile, hoping that the other man would accept the answer.

 

“Aww, well be sure to tell me as soon as you do! I’m in here escaping work often enough after all…” Another smile. “You’ll be extra busy over Christmas then, make sure to make time for yourself and friends, family, partners…”

 

He was actually perfect; handsome __and__  kind! It was almost sickening. “I will as soon as I know more details. And I will, thank you. You too! Don’t work too hard! Please feel free to escape into the supermarket when you need to!”

 

Mr. Perfect beamed. Okay, the heart mouth was adorable. “I will!”

 

Yuuri noticed his cage was now empty and he was mindlessly tidying the crates. “I should get back to work…”

 

“Of course! Sorry to bother you… good luck with your show!” Mr. Perfect smiled again and gave him a little wave before wandering off into another aisle.

 

Yuuri pushed his cage into the warehouse, enjoying the cool air on his face from the open back doors. He couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it when Mr. Perfect showed up and spoke to him; he was always so nice - and so easy to look at - but being in the presence of someone so perfect was __exhausting__.

 

Still, that heart-shaped mouth was ridiculously adorable. He’d have to tell Phichit about it later.

 

 

 

 

The rest of the shift passed without event and Yuuri was able to retreat back into his thoughts of dance routines as he worked. At the end of the shift, he darted around the shop for the ingredients for katsudon, adding a couple of bottles of sake at the end as an after-thought. He was sure there’d be more burlesque videos waiting for him once they settled down.

 

Phichit was still out when he arrived home, so Yuuri put the shopping away and grabbed his laptop. Placing it on the counter, he pulled up his music collection before pausing and moving to youtube, searching up a burlesque playlist to listen to while he cooked. Might as well be productive and find some music and get a feel for the style while he worked.

 

As he began preparing the ingredients, he listened to the music, slipping back into his thoughts of putting a routine together, hips rocking with the beat as he stepped his way around the kitchen. He raised up onto his toes, putting a swing in his hips as he walked from one part of the counter to the other, dropping the washed rice into boiling water with a flourish. Before long he was dancing his way around the kitchen, passing the time as he waited for the pork cutlets to cook by gyrating his hips, trying to smooth the motion of his hips and arms.

 

The sound of a key in the lock brought him to a standstill, almost falling over his own feet as he stopped in an awkward position.

 

“I’m back! That smells delicious!” Phichit toed his shoes off at the door, dropping his bag and coat off on the hooks on the wall.

 

“Just in time!” Yuuri rescued the pork cutlets from the deep frying pan before placing them in another with the egg and sauce.

 

Phichit checked the rice and went to the sink to drain it, suddenly clocking into the music.

 

“Have you been listening to this since you got back, Yuuri?”

 

“Yeah, thought I’d see if I could find something I liked. You said you had some but I thought I should listen too…” He rescued the pork from the pan and began laying it out over the rice.

 

“I hope you were practising some moves too!” Phichit replied as they carried their bowls to the living room, Phichit pausing to take a picture of his meal before he began to eat.

 

“Of course, I need all the practice I can get…” Yuuri sighed happily as he chewed on the first piece; it wasn’t as good as his parents katsudon but he did a good job.

 

“You’ll have to show me some routines, I can help as well. Between us we can put a couple of routines together!”

 

“I don’t think I am ready to start stripping for you yet, Phichit!” Yuuri said with a small laugh.

 

“Well it’ll be easier to start with me than a club of strangers. Sara and Mila are coming over so they can give you some tips as well! I’ll dance it with you and they can give us feedback since they’re pros!”

 

“I don’t think I’m ever gonna be ready for that…” Yuuri groaned, shoving another piece of pork into his mouth.

 

“Well you will have to be cos we’re all gonna see you do it at the club!” Phichit grinned. “Seriously, if we put something together I will dance it with you at first so you don’t feel so silly! We can even have a drink first!”

 

Yuuri sighed and made a mental note to wear good underwear again when the two women came to visit.

 

“Speaking of drink, I bought some sake back…” Yuuri put his bowl down and retrieved the two bottles and two cups from the kitchen.

 

“Woo! Now it’s a celebration!” Phichit scoffed some more of his katsudon as Yuuri poured their drinks. “Now let me just find that music from last night…” Phichit hoisted his laptop from down the side of the couch and began digging through links.

 

The music Phichit had found was more modern but had a similar beat and style to the music Yuuri had been listening to earlier. They chatted, making decisions on songs as they ate and drank, coming up with ideas for moves and performances as they listened.

 

As the food was finished and more sake was poured, the two were soon pushing furniture out of the way in order to begin practising dance moves. Between the pair of them they managed to remember everything from their taster lesson and then began copying moves from the videos they found. By the time they were through the second bottle of sake and onto whatever was lying in the cupboard, they were taking it in turns to strip for each other, hurriedly pulling clothes back on for the next person to start. Phichit insisted that Yuuri record his performances and insisted on repaying the favour.

 

Yuuri declared himself the winner when Phichit fell over as he tried to pull his jeans off for the 7th time and promptly staggered and fell over, ending what had turned into a friendly competition. Phichit wrestled his jeans back on and sat up.

 

“And this is why I’m the MC and you’re the dancer!”

 

“Exactly!” Yuuri gave a big grin, his competitive mode and the glow of the alcohol outshining any sense of shame that remained.

 

“You’re gonna be so good, Yuuri! The people in this city aren’t gonna know what hit them!” Phichit pulled himself back up and flopped onto the couch with Yuuri.

 

“I hope so! I just hope I don’t fall over…”

 

“Well you didn’t fall over while drunk so I think you’re safe, my friend!”

 

Finally still, Yuuri felt his muscles relax, brain happily drifting off towards sleep. He forced Phichit to move and go to bed and soon followed, brushing his teeth before disappearing into his room to sleep.

 

 

 

The week passed mostly as normal, except now their free time was spent trying to put some performances together between work shifts. Phichit had delayed his start date due to being at work on some of the nights but planned on starting the week after. By the weekend they had managed to get a routine together, and after a lot of convincing and a couple of glasses of sake, Phichit had finally managed to get Yuuri to perform it alone.

 

Throughout the performance, Phichit performed his role as dutiful audience member well, complete with wolf-whistling, cheering and an applause app for the final pose to accompany his clapping.

 

“Woo, Yuuri! So sexy! What happened to my innocent friend?”

 

“Shh, Phichit! The neighbours will hear and wonder what the hell we’re doing in here!”

 

“How did you feel about that performance?” Phichit asked, giggling and lowering his voice as Yuuri pulled his clothes back on.

 

“That was still embarrassing…” Yuuri replied. “Better than before though, I could concentrate on the dance now that I have a routine to focus on though. If I get better I can make it more difficult then I’m not thinking too much about people watching…”

 

“Just don’t get too caught up, you’re seducing us remember!”

 

“I’ll do that when I’m less nervous!”

 

“Well I messaged Sara and asked if her and Mila would be okay with critiquing the dance and she said it was fine. They’ll be over in a few hours with…everything by the sounds of it! I’m sure they mentioned suitcases. That’ll be good experience, and she said you’d be able to do a few practice runs in the club as well so you’d be used to the band and other staff being there. Then you just have the audience! Step by step…”

 

Yuuri nodded. The nausea when he thought about it has lessened over time as they put a routine together but it had not vanished. Though the alcohol helped slightly, it didn’t seem like a good idea to be drinking before every performance…

 

“I still need a stage name…” Yuuri mumbled, absent-mindedly chewing on his thumbnail as he tried to think of something.

 

“I bet there’s a burlesque name generator somewhere…” Phichit pulled his laptop open and moments later turned the screen so Yuuri could see. “Here we are! Now let’s see…”

 

Yuuri leaned over, looking at the suggestions, eyebrows raising on some of them.

 

“Romy lollipop? No… Crystal Moondust?”  
  
”That sounds like a Sailor Moon character…” Yuuri said, unimpressed.

 

Phichit laughed. “True! Hmm…Delicious Des Anges?”

 

Yuuri made a face. “If it’s gonna be delicious anything on me, it’d be Delicious Katsudon…”

 

Phichit began giggling madly, Yuuri joining him moments later. “Yuuri, I am not introducing you on stage as Delicious Katsudon… maybe Katsudon Fatale…” he dissolved into laughter again. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, our very own Katsudon Fatale who enthralls men from al over the world!”

 

The next few minutes were spent going through the generator and adding Katsudon to every suggestion.

 

“Roxy Boom Boom…Katsudon Boom Boom!” Yuuri removed his glasses to wipe his eyes as he laughed.

 

“Destiny La Katsudon!” Phichit replied, voice cracking part way through.

 

“Katsudon Wurstbanger!” With this Phichit finally closed the website and pushed his laptop away as both men tried to breathe through their laughter. “I think we need to try-” a pause for breathing “-something else!”

 

“Good plan…” Yuuri replied, laying back against the couch as both men let the laughter slowly die away, small chuckles resurfacing as they remembered the names.

 

“How about mythology? You could be the god of sexual attraction! Or maybe there’s some folklore demon who sends everyone into fits of lust…” Phichit said, face lighting up as he grabbed his laptop again, snorting as the generator website flashed back up momentarily.

 

“I think that’s overselling myself a bit,” Yuuri replied, turning slightly to see what Phichit turned up.

 

“Here we go! A list of love and lust deities, we’ll find something classy for you!”

 

“I don’t think classy is what we’re going for…” Yuuri said with a laugh, eyes scanning down the page.

 

“No, too difficult for people to pronounce…. it needs to have impact!” Phichit scrolled down the page, focused on the names and what they were linked to. “Not fertility, we’re not trying to make babies here…”

 

“Bes? Egyptian God of dance, music and sexual pleasure?” Yuuri suggested, it seemed like a good start though he wasn’t really sure about it.

 

“Ooh that could work…” Phichit stopped and prodded the screen with his finger. “There! That’s the one!”

 

Yuuri leaned in to see the name next to Phichit’s finger. “Eros…”

 

“God of love and sexual desire!” Phichit grinned. “I vote on Eros!”

 

Yuuri thought about it for a moment. He was still sure that calling himself the god of sexual desire was a tall order but he liked it more than anything else.

 

He nodded. “Eros it is!”

 

 

 

 

Sara and Mila arrived not long after, trailing two large suitcases and backpacks behind them.

 

“Hi, Phichit! Hi, Yuuri! I hope you have no other plans because we bought so much stuff!” Yuuri helped them find a place for the suitcases to be laid down so they could begin emptying the contents.

 

“Phichit told us you got a routine together?” Sara started as she began organising the contents of the case into piles.

 

“Yeah, we think it looks good, I just need to find better clothing for it really… and just make myself look more presentable in general…”

 

“That’s why we’re here!” Mila replied with a grin, offloading several large make-up bags onto the table. “We fetched a bit of everything because we weren’t sure how much you wanted to do. We have some older stuff here as well that you can have if you like it until you can get some newer stuff of your own!”

 

“We did the same with clothing, just try everything and see what you like and then you know what to shop for! We fetched some older stuff of ours as well - only the things still in good condition though - so again you can have any of that if you like it!” Sara gestured to a pile she had made on one side.

 

Yuuri looked around, not sure where to begin.

 

Phichit glanced first at Yuuri and then at all the things laid out. “Well, how about the corsets and stuff first? We can work out a clothing look later… At least if you don’t like it we can put it all aside and work on something else.”

 

“That’s an idea, if you decide not to bother with corsets and stockings then at least we can shove all that away!” Mila reached for a corset, suspender belt and some stockings and a small packet containing underwear at Yuuri. “The last bit is a present from us - we figured you probably didn’t own a g-string.”

 

“Yeah, I just have normal underwear…” Yuuri held onto the pile for a moment before shuffling off to his room. He heard Phichit offering the women a drink as he vanished into his room.

 

Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. He was going to have to try this and get it over with and if he didn’t like it then fine.

 

He pulled his clothes off, depositing them on the bed. First he opened the packet and pulled a black g-string out, it seemed to be no bigger than what the other burlesque guy had been wearing. He pulled it on, surprised that it covered what it needed to but was not particularly comfortable; he guessed they weren’t supposed to be. He glanced in the mirror, a little ridiculous but nothing too awful; he could cope with this on stage…

 

The suspender belt was next, he wrapped it around his waist and clipped it before pulling it around so the clip was at the back. It was plain black like his underwear and has no particular decoration on it, the clips for the stocks dangled down his thighs.

 

The stockings soon followed, the process more difficult than he thought it would be. First he tried to push his foot into one like he would a pair of trousers but the material just kept stretching. Remembering the videos he had seen about taking them off, he tried reversing it to put them on, gathering the material up in his hands so that only the tip of the foot was left, then slowly sliding it up his leg, clipping it firmly moments later. He repeated the process with the second leg and clipped that together.

 

He glanced in the mirror before looking away again. Now he just looked odd, but then he wasn’t used to seeing himself - or any men for that matter - in this sort of clothing. He picked up the corset and studied it for a moment, pulling it around himself and trying to clip it together, briefly wondering how the women in the videos managed to make taking these things off look so easy.

 

He was gearing himself up to look in the mirror again when he heard a knock at the door.

 

“Hold on!” Yuuri said, looking round for his dressing gown to cover himself.

 

“We have shoes here, Mila said you can’t wear those clothes without a pair of heels so here are some! She guessed your size but they look about right!”

 

Yuuri bundled himself up and cracked the door open, taking the offered shoes - also black. “I don’t know about this, I just look weird…”

 

“Let us decide that!” Mila shouted from behind Phichit. “You’re not used to those clothes, we know if you look good in them or not!”

 

“You heard her,” Phichit grinned. “You have a great body, Yuuri. I’m sure you look great! Now put the shoes on and show us…” he passed them through to Yuuri.

 

“I…” He had realised too late that he would be expected to go out in these clothes, chastising himself because of course they wanted to see how they looked and if he took this job he would potentially be dressed in this and less in front of a lot more people. If only he could just go out and dance in a g-string, that was actually less frightening. Chris had the right idea.

 

“Come on, Yuuri! We won’t laugh! If it doesn’t look good we’ll just say it’s not for you!” The reassuring tone in Phichit’s voice made Yuuri feel a bit better. He sighed.

 

“Okay, one minute.” Taking the shoes from Phichit he closed the door and slipped his feet into the shoes. They were a little tight, a size too small probably but wearable for now.

 

He stomped over to his mirror, trying to adjust his balance and eventually relying on his ballet training as he moved his weight to the balls of his feet. The heels weren’t particularly high but were enough to throw him off slightly. Looking in the mirror he frowned. The clothing all fit and there was nothing wrong per se; he just looked odd. He walked around his room a few more times, trying to adjust to the shoes. When he felt better about walking in them, he pulled his dressing gown on and took a deep breath before opening his door again.

 

“Here he comes, let us see!” The three of them turned to see Yuuri approaching in his dressing gown.

 

“Ooh, are you giving us a performance?” Mila asked excitedly, seeing the dressing gown.

 

“No! I just…feel a bit embarrassed is all…” Yuuri said, feeling colour starting to rush into his face. It was one thing to be trying this with just Phichit but with two women he barely knew as well…

 

“Hold on, before you do anything…” Mila grabbed Phichit’s laptop and searched up a song. Pressing play she turned back to Yuuri with a grin.

 

“Take it off!” Sara and Mila chanted with the song. Yuuri looked at Phichit for help but Phichit shrugged and grinned, albeit sympathetically. This was something that had to be done sooner or later.

 

With a sigh, Yuuri began untying the gown, feeling his face begin to flush more as the women began to cheer, Phichit joining them.

 

“Shush! The neighbours will hear!” Yuuri said, fingers refusing to work on the knot.

 

The three of them began whisper cheering before joining together to chant “take it off!” at him - albeit quietly this time.

 

Finally in a fit of adrenaline, Yuuri managed to get the knot loose and threw the gown off before he could change his mind, covering his face straight away so he didn’t have to look at their faces.

 

Inside voices were forgotten moments later as the cheering began full throttle again. Yuuri was sure they’d be getting noise complaints soon.

 

“Aaah! They look really good on you!” Mila said.

 

“They do! You have the right figure for them! Do a spin! Let’s see the back!” Sara joined in.

 

Yuuri covered his face and shuffled in a circle so they could see the back.

 

“That’s a ballet butt if ever I saw one!” Mila said with a laugh. “You’ll be making the women jealous!”

 

Yuuri cracked open his fingers to look at the group and saw Phichit grinning and giving him the thumbs up.

 

“If you weren’t my bff, Yuuri, I’d be hitting on you right now!”

 

“I don’t look weird?” Yuuri asked, not quite believing the praise just yet.

 

“If you looked weird we would tell you! We wouldn’t let you go up on stage in something that didn’t suit you!” Phichit said, Sara and Mila nodding.

 

“If you think you look weird it’s because you’re not used to seeing yourself in that sort of clothing.” Sara said. “But you do look amazing in it!”

 

“Also your face is still ‘daytime Yuuri’, we need to morph you into ‘burlesque Yuuri’, then everything will match. You’re cute but those glasses and your current hairstyle doesn’t quite match the clothing…” Mila said. “But that’s why we have everything else! Now sit, it’s makeover time…”

 

“Shouldn't I get changed first?” Yuuri said, starting to make his way back to his room.

 

“No need, we’ll match your make-up to what you’re wearing now! You can put the gown back on if you want, though. Now sit!” Mila patted the couch where she had been sat and moved out of the way, pulling up a stool and moving the make-up on the table closer.

 

“How much make-up were you thinking?” Sara asked. “I assume you don’t want the natural look?”

 

“I don’t know to be honest… how about you do what you think and then we can build on it from there?” Yuuri asked, content to let the two women do whatever they wanted since they had the knowledge and skills for it.

 

“Okay, so we’ll start basic and work up if you want more. Now your hair, you had it pushed back when you were at the club, that suited you well. Have you got any gel?”

 

“There’s some in the bathroom, I’ll get it!” Phichit hopped up from the couch and vanished into the bathroom, reappearing moments later with a tube. “We don’t use it often so it might be gunked up a bit…”

 

Mila squeezed a bit into her palm, spreading it over her hands and then hand combing Yuuri’s hair away from his face. “It’s not perfect but it’ll do for now.”

 

Yuuri sat patiently, Phichit next to him, filming the women as they began mixing their foundations to match Yuuri’s skin tone, explaining how they were applying the make-up and why. This was soon followed by filling in his eyebrows, eyeliner, mascara and eventually lipstick.

 

“There’s contouring as well but we can do that later, this is the basic look…” Mila and Sara sat back and admired their handiwork.

 

“Not that you need it mind, you have a great face already!” Sara added in.

 

“What do you think, Phichit?” Mila asked with a grin, already knowing the answer.

 

“Yeah, Yuuri. If I didn’t know you I would be trying to get your number so hard right now!” Phichit stared for a moment. “Hold on, lemme get a picture! Yuuri, strike a pose!”

 

Yuuri smiled like he normally would for a picture until Sara interrupted. “Wait, Yuuri, try this sort of look,” she dipped her head slightly, giving him a sultry look from under her lashes, a small knowing smile on her face.

 

“Um, okay…” Yuuri tried to copy the look and force his face into what he wanted.

 

“Relax a bit, Yuuri. Pretend you’re trying to get the hottest person alive in front of you to come over and lavish you with attention all night!” Mila said.

 

Yuuri sighed, always with the seduction. Picturing Mr. Perfect he tried slipping into his performance persona again.

 

A thumbs up from Phichit and moments later he was showing Yuuri his photo.

 

Yuuri stared at the man in the photo. “Is there a filter on this, Phichit?”

 

“No, that’s actually what you look like right now, my friend!” Phichit threw an arm over his shoulders “You look like hot shit.”

 

“Welcome to the world, Eros!” Mila grinned as she looked down at the photo.

 

“Now the face matches the clothing! Go check yourself out in the mirror again and we’ll find you some clothes to try!”

 

In a daze, Yuuri wandered back into his bedroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like a completely different person, eyes darkened, seeming larger than before and yet more sultry, the red colour on his lips drawing his eyes. In the mirror it looked strange but in the photos it had matched well.

 

This was Eros, and it was as far from Yuuri as it could be.

 

It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knew damn well Yuuri was gonna be hot shit in stockings and a corset. Everyone except Yuuri.
> 
> Poor Victor is dropping the bait and Yuuri is picking it right back up, dusting it off and handing it back to him. Someone help him.
> 
> Next chapter will hopefully be along next weekend or very early the week after. It's partially written, and we will finally see Yuuri dance! I will also have some time off so hopefully I can get a bit more written!
> 
> As always, please leave feedback, it gives me so much life!


	5. As it turns out, B stands for Burlesque.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri finally dances in front of a live studio audience!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit late - I over-estimated my energy levels on friday; I thought I would have some energy - this was not the case. Then a friend came to stay for the weekend and I barely had time to sleep.
> 
> But here we are! I finally made it!

The next few weeks passed in a blur; Yuuri and Phichit’s normal work hours had increased for the Christmas period and spare time was spent putting routines and outfits together from what Mila and Sara had turned out with a few further additions from the boxes at the club. Yuuri had spent hours learning how to get the corsets and hosiery off in something vaguely resembling a sexy manner, with much input from Phichit and Mila and Sara’s frequent visits. Make-up practice had been interesting and turned out several awful results until they finally gave in and bought the recommended foundation that matched Yuuri’s skin tone, though he had cried internally at the price tag. Finally, between himself and Phichit, they had finally been able to copy the make-up Sara and Mila had done from the video Phichit had taken.

 

Their visits had now started including food and alcohol and Yuuri wasn’t sure when, but he had gotten used to taking his clothes off in front of the other three, though it was always more of a joke and he was usually not the only one stripping - Mila always seemed to end up joining him and they had started leaving a spare night gown out for her when they visited. It gave him hope that maybe he would survive this job after all.

 

Phichit had started at the club a few weeks before, his first night a roaring success; Yuuri had sat down to watch and support him with Yuuko and he certainly knew how to liven the audience up. As Yuuko quickly discovered, he also watched the audience and was not afraid to single out the quieter people, though this tended to be the men who didn’t clap when JJ performed. As a result, the audience quickly learned to be very audibly supportive of all the acts.

 

Yuuri had his first stage run through of the performances with staff present that evening and so was picking the morning shift up at the store. He had some pre-recorded music and some instrumental music picked, so the band had been working on practising the instrumental and it would all be put together tonight. Sara and Mila had helped him give the band information on how to loop sections in-case something caught and took longer to remove; a small thing that helped ease some of the anxiety around performing. He had slipped back into his habit of mental rehearsals to pass the time and keep his mind distracted from that evening’s small performance.

 

Right now he was as far from Eros as possible; Work polo shirt and trousers, glasses and hair that had been given a cursory brushing that morning. Lifting a crate of lemons into place, he sighed, stomach turning over itself slightly. He had gotten used to his friends but now there would be strangers present; the band, Yuuko and Takeshi, Chris would be there for his pole dancing lesson to start afterwards…

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

In that moment, Yuuri decided that daydreaming at work needed to stop. The mini-heart attacks were not worth it.

 

He turned, fixing a smile on his face as he met the slightly concerned gaze of Mr. Perfect, a small frown creasing the skin between his eyes, mouth turned down slightly as he studied Yuuri.

 

“I’m fine, thank you! How are you?” Training and day-to-day fake smiling kicked in automatically.

 

Mr. Perfect didn’t seem convinced by the smile, but the crease vanished. “I’m better, my workload is finally going down - we worked a few weekends and caught up. So I’ve given myself a short break! How about you? It’s definitely getting busier in here.”

  
Yuuri nodded. “It’s a lot busier… It’s gonna keep going until Christmas now.”

 

Mr. Perfect nodded back. “How about the show? Is that still going? Have you got any more information yet?” The usual tone in his voice had returned, his concern over Yuuri’s daze earlier seemed to have vanished.

 

Yuuri had forgotten he had mentioned that. Damnit. “Oh yes, we’re in rehearsals now but I still don’t know where it’s going to be… I think they’re still trying to get somewhere.”

 

Mr. Perfect nodded again, looking a little disappointed; Yuuri actually felt bad now, maybe he liked watching local shows. This passed quickly as his face brightened up again.

 

“Well, if you struggle for a venue, let me know. I know a few people who might be able to find you one if you know what sort of dates and audience size you expect, they owe me a few favours!”

 

“Ah, that’s great, thank you! I will let you know when they let us know…” Now he really felt bad, Mr. Perfect was clearly trying to be helpful; now he was handsome, kind and charitable. Fantastic.

 

The other man opened his mouth, clearly about to say something else and then stopped. The frown reappeared, lips pursing thoughtfully. Yuuri waited silently, wondering what the other man could be stuck for asking for.

 

“Do you-? I mean…” he sighed and gave his head a small shake, seeming to deflate slightly. “Has the pineapple been moved back to the end again?”

 

Yuuri realised he had been holding his breath.

 

“Yeah, it’s down there with the mixed fruit pots…” That had been a strangely intense request for prepared fruit. Yuuri gave himself a mental shake - clearly he was reading too much into it, Mr. Perfect was probably just distracted by all the work he had been doing recently. Yuuri knew how he felt.

 

“Okay, thank you. I’ll see you next time,” Mr. Perfect gave a small smile and a wave as he wandered down the aisle and out of Yuuri’s line of vision.

 

Yuuri blinked and went back to work. Mr. Perfect had seemed a little down today; he hoped he wasn’t being too stressed at work. Someone that nice needed to be happy so his mouth could keep being that ridiculous heart shape…

 

He sighed and shook his head. Thinking about Mr. Perfect’s mouth was also going to get him nowhere, it was one thing to have lofty aspirations, it was another to have unattainable dreams.

 

Though he had certainly come in handy when it came to perfecting his dancing. He wondered whether his routines would get that heart shape back…

 

He shook his head more violently this time, face heating up. No, that was a crossover that was most definitely not going to happen. Even if Mr. Perfect liked Eros, he’d probably be pretty disappointed that the person behind him was just Yuuri - supermarket shelf stacker and failed ballet dancer. No matter what Phichit thought, he was definitely not interested, especially since he’d walked away this time…

 

Yuuri lightly patted his cheeks to drag himself out of his thoughts and forced himself back into work. He had other things to think about right now. Like stripping in front of a group of friends and strangers.

 

 

 

That evening, Phichit accompanied him to the club, suitcase in tow full of outfits, make-up and underwear. Phichit and Yuuri had painted the room the week before, a pale coffee colour on all walls but one which had been painted blue. Yuuko had called and said that a carpet had been laid down to keep it warm and some furniture had been put in as well, though she had warned them it was basic and if they wanted anything else they were free to replace it.

 

When they arrived, they walked behind the building to the staff entrance and were let in by Takeshi.

 

“How you feeling, Yuuri?”

 

“Nervous… I’ve just gotten used to Phichit, Mila and Sara.” Yuuri was past lying about his nerves now - everyone knew.

 

“Well once you’ve done it a few times in front of all of us, an audience will be no problem. The bar will be getting restocked while you’re here so just ignore that going on. JJ is here as well and I’m sure he’ll be happy to give you some tips and tricks from a guy’s point of view.” He patted Yuuri on the back. “You’ll be fine, Mila and Sara say such good things about you, you know?”

 

“They do?” Yuuri hadn’t realised they’d been feeding his progress back to the club.

 

“Probably bragging about how you’ve flourished under their tutoring,” Phichit said with a grin. “Come on, Yuuri, let’s get you stage ready!”

 

Two small stars hung on their dressing room door - one with Phichit’s name and one with ‘Eros’. Yuuri looked at it for a moment, feeling strange now that the name sat in front of him - before it had been a  mental cloak to wrap himself in to get through his performances but now it would be attached to him by anyone who saw him at the club. This threw his situation into frightening clarity and he felt his stomach trying to escape the confines of his abdomen at the thought of what lie ahead.

 

Inside the room, a couple of stools stood in front of a plain table that looked like it had been taken from a school classroom with a mirror propped on it and a full length one next to it. A clothes rail with a couple of suits for Phichit hung upon it and a set of plastic drawers sat to the side.

 

“Well, time to unpack and begin!” Phichit said, laying the suitcase down and beginning to set the make-up into place on the table.

 

Yuuri unloaded the clothing, hanging the main pieces up and then sorting the hosiery into the drawers. He’d gone on an online shopping spree and bought extras of the stockings, g-strings as well as gloves and other small bits, silently thanking all the extra hours he had been picking up at the store as he did. Some of the nude G-strings had been covered in diamantes by Mila and Sara one evening at their insistence, so now he had some very glittery underwear. According to Mila it would stop him from looking like an Asian Ken doll, though Phichit argued that he would just look like a Ken doll who had been vajazzled. That had become a heated debate.

 

“When we get a bit more money after we’ve been paid, we should definitely get some nicer furniture in here. Make it fit in with the atmosphere!” Phichit said as he painstakingly lined up the lipsticks and separated lip liners and eye-liners into their own pots.

 

“Maybe…” Yuuri mumbled as he sorted and resorted the tubs. “We should definitely get a screen here for getting changed behind.”

 

“Yeah, the girls have one. I’ll just go outside while you change for now.” Phichit admired his handwork. “Well, now it’s time to get ready! Do you want to get dressed first? Then I can come in and help you with your make-up!”

 

“Okay, I'll give you a shout when I’m ready…” Yuuri began setting aside the pieces that he would need for his first performance, heart beginning to beat out of his chest as he began mentally ticking off how many people would be watching.

 

“I’ll be out here,” Phichit started at Yuuri’s back for a moment, noticing his breathing begin to speed up. “You’ll be fine, Yuuri! You’ve already danced in front of three of us!”

 

Yuuri turned and gave a weak smile and a nod before going back to what he was doing.

 

Phichit left and closed the door, almost bumping into JJ as he left his room. The taller man gave him a million dollar grin and a wave.

 

“Hi, MC, is it true Yuuri is doing a run through soon?”

 

“Yeah, he’s just getting ready so I’m giving him a few minutes.” Phichit began edging round JJ towards Mila and Sara’s room. It wasn’t that he didn’t get along with the other man but sometimes he wasn’t quite sure how to take him and it left him unsure how to continue; an unusual situation for Phichit.

 

“Mind if I hang around? I wanna see the guy I’m up against!” JJ asked, leaning against the wall beside his door.

 

“Aah, you have nothing to fear, JJ. His style is more along the lines of Sara and Mila than yours,” Phichit replied, not wanting to add competition to Yuuri’s current nerves. “You’re more than free to watch though, everyone else is and you guys can finally meet!”

 

“I don’t fear anything, I love a bit of healthy competition! I’ll stick around and watch then, but I’ll have to run afterwards. Me and my fiancée are going out for a meal tonight and I can’t keep her waiting!”

 

“Yeah, best not to do that,” Phichit nodded understandingly and knocked on the women’s door, going in a moment later after being given the verbal go ahead, leaving JJ in the corridor.

 

 

 

Yuuri had just finished fastening his waist cincher, pulling a gown over the lingerie for now until it was time for his show - for this number he only wore gloves, a scarf and an ankle length coat over the underwear. Yuuri hadn’t realised until too late how much his outfit had in common with Mr. Perfect until it was too late; the scarf was an almost identical blue to the colour of the other man’s eyes and the coat was a pale coffee coloured brown, reminiscent of the long coat he wore when he came into the shop. Below the coat he wore a blue waist cincher with black lace edging and black highlights along the ribbing, matching blue panties with lace edging that tied at either side with black ribbon over a nude g-string. A black lace suspender belt held his black stockings in place and the outfit was finished with a pair of slip on black heels; he had taken to high heels due to his training but stuck with slightly thicker heels to be on the safe side. This was finished off with blue nipple tassels; Yuuri wasn’t sure when but Sara had managed to convince him to wear them - the demonstrations on how to make them spin independently had been interesting and a source of great entertainment for everyone involved.

 

He swapped his glasses for contact lenses and then picked up a pot of gel and used a little to push his hair back from his face, finger combing it until it was tidy. Stage one done.

 

“Phichit! I’m ready!” He sat at the make-up desk and began grabbing what he needed. At least this would only need doing at the start of the night and topped up later.

 

A knock sounded moments before the door opened.

 

“Hi, I’m JJ! Sorry, I heard you were ready so I thought I’d greet my fellow performer! I’m gonna hang around and watch with everyone else. This is your first performance, right? If you want any tips I could give you a hand, I’ve won my fair share of competitions while I’ve been doing this!”

 

Before Yuuri could reply, JJ had sat himself down on the other stool.

 

“You’re going the full make-up route, huh?” JJ looked at the masses of make-up set out on the table.

 

Yuuri opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure which question JJ wanted answering first. He settled for the most recent one.

 

“Yeah, just so no-one recognises me outside of here…” Yuuri fidgeted with his nails at the slightly confused and surprised look on the other man’s face.

 

“Ah, I see. Yeah, I guess some people don’t want everyone to know they do this for a living. I’m proud of it! As is my beautiful fiancée, of course.” JJ flashed a mega-watt grin.

 

Yuuri nodded, not sure what else to say.

 

“Don’t worry, Yuuri. They chose you alongside me, that must mean you’re good!” JJ gave him what was probably meant as a reassuring pat but ended up being a mildly painful slap on his arm.

 

“Thanks?” Yuuri was pretty sure it was meant as a compliment.

 

“Now get your make-up sorted and show us all what you’ve got!” JJ stood and left again, as suddenly as he appeared.

 

Yuuri heard him greet Phichit in the hall before his friend appeared in the doorway.

 

“You okay, Yuuri?” Phichit asked, closing the door and taking the seat JJ had just vacated.

 

“Fine, just…” Yuuri lowered his voice. “is he always like that?”

 

“Yeah, he’s friendly enough, I’m just never sure if he’s actually arrogant or using bravado to cover up being socially awkward,” Phichit said, watching as Yuuri picked the foundation up. “We’ll figure him out eventually. I should probably make more of an effort with him.”

 

“He’s very…One hundred and ten percent isn’t he? I mean, I always thought you were outgoing and chatty but he’s in another league…”

 

“Yeah, we just need to train him to quiet down a little I think, but it matches his stage persona.” Phichit began lining up the eye make-up - Yuuri was fine with everything else but they had discovered that Phichit consistently drew better eyeliner.

 

“He seemed surprised that I didn’t want to be recognised,” Yuuri mumbled as he evened the foundation out. Putting make-upon had ended up proving to be a calming ritual, focusing on the step by step routine kept his mind occupied temporarily and was currently proving to soothe his nerves before the practice run.

 

“Well most dancers see it as a day - or night - job I guess? Mila and Sara have it on their online profiles though they have separate ones for personal stuff but they don’t hide it. JJ has been to every competition he can get in and has an entire website dedicated to himself. It’s how you feel about the work I suppose, for you this is good experience and pay that will boost you when you finally get the ballet job of your dreams, for others, this is what they enjoy and want to do.”

 

Yuuri made an agreeable noise as he lined his lips, applying the red lipstick moments later. Once finished, he turned his seat and closed his eyes, allowing Phichit to apply his eyeliner.

 

“There! Now you look like Eros!” Phichit sat back and admired his handy work.

 

Yuuri looked in the mirror and nodded, nerves beginning to return. “Let’s get this over with!”

 

“Okay, I’ll go get everyone sat down and wait at the side of the stage. When you’re ready I’ll introduce you!” Phichit vanished, leaving Yuuri to get dressed and make his way to the stage.

 

A few minutes later Yuuri made his way to the stage door, stepping through and taking a deep breath as he signalled to Phichit that he was ready. His friend gave him a thumbs up in return and turned to the small audience.

 

 

 

 

“Give it up for Ruby Rum! I wanna hear the applause that lady deserves!” Phichit’s voice rang through the club as people clapped and cheered and one of the band members cleared the stage of her clothing. Yuuri focused on keeping his breathing steady, trying to pretend he was about to perform another practice run - it wouldn’t be any different than before. The staff had always been enthusiastic about their feedback and applause after his practice runs; Yuuri had forgotten what it felt like to receive positive feedback, though a part of his mind was sure they were just being nice - a beginner could only be so good after all.

 

“Now, we have a new performer for you!” The audience were already used to Phichit’s cues and made the appropriate oohs and aahs when required. “So seductive, so sexy and so goddamn gorgeous that the Greeks named their God of love and sexual attraction after him! Ladies and gentlemen, please give a very warm welcome to Eros!”

 

Yuuri shut out the voice in his head that wished Phichit hadn’t hyped him up so much - they had talked about not raising the bar - and pulled his Eros persona around him. Eros wouldn’t disagree with that comparison after all and would show the audience how right Phichit had been.

 

The lights on the stage dimmed as Phichit exited the stage, giving Yuuri the thumbs up as he went past.

 

Yuuri sauntered onto stage amidst the applause, stopping at the centre with his back to the audience and waiting for the music to start. It was only a short piece at 2 minutes long, and as there was no singing, the band were playing it live, giving Yuuri the comfort of knowing that if something took too long the band would make up for it.

 

The stage lights lit up as the [music began](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK6g8sGmT2U) and Yuuri fixed the darkness ahead where the audience sat with his best smirk. Time to show them what they had been missing.

 

He took a couple of steps forward, raising his hands and letting his fingertips caress his cheeks lightly before lowering them to his scarf, slowly pulling it loose from the coat with the beat before sliding it from around his neck in one smooth motion, tilting his head back slightly as he made a show of the newly bared skin. Several small whoops sounded from the audience; Phichit had trained them well.

 

Beginning a slow gyration of his hips, he began working his way down the buttons of his coat, popping each one open on the beat before running his hands down the front of his body to the belt. He slowly began untying it, pulling each bit loose with a slow purposeful movement. One it was untied, he held the coat together with his hands, sauntering across the stage and pausing, opening his coat an inch before closing it again and shaking his head, turning on his heel and walking across to the other side of the stage to repeat the same thing. Mila had told him to tease the audience and tease he would - but they were also going to have to work for it; if he was taking his clothes off he had better be appreciated for it.

 

He cupped a hand to his ear, waiting until he could hear an acceptable amount of cheering and applause before moving his arms back, leaning slightly to allow the coat to slide off his shoulders. He caught it with one hand before it dropped to the floor and tossed it aside with a spin.

 

Louder applause and more cheering and whistles came from the audience as his lingerie was revealed. Yuuri was sure he could even hear the reluctant men cheering. The fear of being Phichit-shamed was working well.

 

Fixing his gaze on a member of the audience who sat close to the stage, Yuuri raised a hand to his mouth and used his teeth to begin pulling the fingertips of his glove loose one by one, maintaining eye contact and watching a blush creep across their face. With a quick motion he whipped it off and threw it behind him, breaking the contact and moving on. For the second glove he used his fingers, fixing his stare on another audience member, quietly enjoying the look of awe on the man’s face as he pulled each fingertip loose and then used his teeth to pull it free, snatching it and throwing it behind him to join the other one.

 

He strolled across the stage, coming to a stop and running a hand over one leg. He glanced at the audience and then down to his leg, before looking back up again and raising an eyebrow. He rewarded the resulting cheers by flicking the suspender clasp open with a practised move. He shifted his weight and did the same on the other leg. With a dramatic turn from the audience, he bent over and ran his hands over his rear and down to the clasps, flicking the back ones open at the same time, a move that he had been unsure about in practice but judging by the reaction he was getting, was definitely the right choice. Not to mention he had a ‘ballet butt’ to show off. He stood straight again, still facing away from the audience as he unfastened the suspender belt, hips moving in a figure of eight in time with the music.

 

Turning sideways to the audience, he bent over again, running his hands down his legs and back up again, drawing attention to them. His shoes were removed with a small flex and flick of his feet, the heels flying off to the back of the stage. Lifting a leg up and bending it at the knee with toes pointed to the floor, he ran his fingers below the seam of the stocking and began sliding it down his leg, taking the seam and swinging his foot behind him, fetching the foot as high up as he could - higher than most thanks to his ballet training - and slowly pulling the stocking away from his foot over his head. He had been advised to keep a chair on stage for this section but his balance had never been a problem - unless it was ballet. He blocked that thought from his head, spun around and repeated the move on the other side, taking in the cheers of the audience.

 

He could hear the end of the song coming, so he skirted past the blue waist cincher and focused on the underwear. He still wore a nude diamante covered g-string but after watching some more videos online, had opted for another pair of briefs over them as an extra item to remove - and one that always seemed to be used to great effect.

 

He walked a quick circle around the stage, letting the audience get a good look at his body before pausing in the centre, openly glancing down at the briefs and at the audience, silently asking them if they wanted the underwear gone. As the cheering renewed he shook his head slightly, mouthing ‘no’ at them, looking off to the side as though he was not convinced - there was not nearly enough noise to deserve it - earning him a new chorus of whistles and shouts amidst the applause. A small smile crept onto his face as he distinctly heard the cheering of Phichit and the other dancers from off stage.

 

With a grin, he began pulling on the ribbon, grabbing it as the knots came undone easily and holding them in place. He strutted across the stage on the balls of his feet, holding the ribbons out as far as they would go. Coming to a halt again, a grin forming on his face as the applause continued, he dropped the ribbon holding the back part of the briefs up, the material slipping between his legs and dangling in front of him.

 

As the song came to a close he moved the briefs one way and then the other, not quite revealing before finally tossing them behind him.

 

Thunderous applause sounded in the small room and moments later the lights dimmed, allowing Yuuri to leave the stage. His heart pounded, body finally reacting to the adrenaline rush he had just gotten, half laughing as he came to a stop. The other dancers and Yuuko were waiting backstage for him with their own applause, JJ giving him a thumbs up, fully dressed and ready to go on after Yuuri. Phichit bounced up and down as he passed Yuuri, a manically happy expression on his face as he took the stage again.

 

Without a word, Phichit held his hands out to the side with a ‘what more can I say?’ expression on his face. As the applause finally began to die down he began to speak.

 

“I’m so glad I don’t have to shame any of you for being quiet right now. Some of you looked skeptical when I said the Greeks named one of their Gods after him; do you believe me now?” He waited for more cheering which he received moments later.

 

“And now for a change of pace, here comes our favourite Canadian, he’s here to make sure you’re all feeling good…” Phichit drew the last word out as he ducked backstage to make way for JJ as he began his routine.

 

“Thanks for warming them up for me!” JJ grinned and gave Yuuri a friendly slap on the back as he stepped out onto the stage.

 

Sara handed Yuuri his gown, letting him put it on before grabbing him into a hug.

 

“Well done, Yuuri! How do you feel?” Phichit reappeared as she spoke, grabbing Yuuri from behind to hug him.

 

“Good. I think. Or I’m going to have a heart attack, I don’t know which!” Yuuri wanted to laugh in relief now that it was all over, legs suddenly feeling like they were made of jelly.

 

“It’s called adrenaline, Yuuri! Learn to enjoy it!” Mila gave him a grin and joined in the group hug.

 

“Yuuri, even the old guys were cheering for you! They looked a bit confused as to why they wanted to cheer, but they did it anyway!” Phichit said. “I kept an eye on them while you were performing.”

 

The band member appeared with Yuuri’s clothing and handed them to him with a ‘well done’ before vanishing back to the band stand.

 

“Well done on your first performance, I told you that you’d be amazing once you were trained up!” Yuuko said as Yuuri was released.

 

Yuuri grinned and nodded at Yuuko and began making his way to his dressing room to get ready for the next act, Sara and Mila following to get ready for theirs as well - they had waited behind to watch his performance. As he made his way into his room to remove the waist cincher he thought back to the last time he had felt this way - a show he had been in when he was younger that his parents, sister and teacher had all come to watch - he had felt unbeatable at that point. However, a few mistakes later snowballed on each other thanks to his anxiety and once the show ended and he needed to find new employment, his confidence had taken a hit and no-one had hired him since. They all said the same thing, ‘You’re good but…’.

 

Yuuri wasn’t sure he ever wanted to let this feeling to go again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you enjoyed his first performance! The audience certainly did! (And when I wasn't screeching about the English language, I was enjoying writing it!)
> 
> Aiming for the next chapter to be this weekend, I have no work, just chores and dog walking to do so I should be on it a bit better from now on!
> 
> As always, comments make me a happy author and encourage me to get my ass in gear!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented so far! (And for the kudos!)


	6. B is for Ballet costume designers!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Victor finally learn each other's names! And in an attempt to cheer his friend up, Chris takes Victor to a certain cabaret just because he simply must see the new performer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phichit's stage name makes an appearance - points for guessing why he chose it!
> 
> We finally meet Victor!
> 
> Song linked added for all performances but everyone except Yuuri only gets a paragraph so you can skip if you want.  
> (Mila dances to Ex's and Oh's, JJ to For Your Entertaiment and Sara sings a vintage version of Toxic)

Christmas was a looming and expensive cloud hanging over the two men as November swiftly turned into December. With their first paychecks from the club bolstering their income nicely, Phichit and Yuuri had set a day for gift shopping and agreed that they would not return home until they were finished. They had managed to make it out of the house early in the day and were both carrying full bags as they dug through more shops; Yuuri had bought some things for his sister and spotted a few bits for Phichit that he would order online later and was currently on the hunt for something for his parents. Phichit had finished and while trying to be helpful, was also proving to be a distraction.

 

“Yuuri! Let’s go in MAC! Mila says they have really nice lipsticks and a big range of red ones!” Without waiting for an answer he began dragging Yuuri into the store, ignoring the slightly confused looks of the women around them.

 

“There’s a million different shades of red…” Yuuri said, protesting slightly but still looking in curiousity. The lipsticks he currently owned were turn outs from Sara and Mila who had a frightening amount of lipstick left over from when they made the change to more expensive brands.

 

“Well we can just ask one of the assistants, I’m sure they know which ones would be best for you!” Phichit said, waving one of the assistants over.

 

Twenty minutes later, Yuuri left the store in shock at the obscene amount of money he had just spent on lipstick; after a consultation and Phichit’s insistence that everything looked good, Yuuri ended up with three new lipsticks and matching liners. Phichit insisted that if Mila and Sara had switched to it then it was clearly the way forward for him as well.

 

“You have to be prepared to spend money on your art, Yuuri!” Phichit declared.

 

“I’m fairly sure paying for that took a part of my soul as well as my money…” Yuuri muttered, lifting the bag up and looking at the 6 small boxes inside, his stroll slowing among the constantly shifting crowd of shoppers as he glanced again at the total on the receipt. He had half a mind to take one or two back…

 

Phichit threw his arm around Yuuri’s shoulders. “Well everyone sells at least a little of their soul for show business! At least yours went on high quality lipstick!”

 

Yuuri opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when he collided with another person, taking a step back as he lightly rebounded off of the other person. An apology was already leaving his mouth when the other person turned around, a look of mild confusion on their face which was soon replaced by a large heart-shaped smile. Yuuri felt his heart skip a beat.

 

“Good morning! Or is it afternoon…?” Mr. Perfect seemed to be in better spirits than the last time he had been in the store, tone of his voice definitely back to it’s usual light and airy self, tugging a small smile from Yuuri’s lips, despite the shopping induced exhaustion he could feel creeping through his body. A quick glance down showed that this was not a condition that seemed to affect the other man, since he had apparently taken a break from work to do his Christmas shopping and was surrounded by an alarming amount of bags that created a small island among the throng of shoppers milling around them.

 

“Afternoon, I think… How are you?” Yuuri asked, suddenly feeling self conscious; Mr. Perfect had always been a small - or not so small - workplace fantasy. Seeing the other man in real life, decked out in a perfectly fitted, red turtleneck jumper, the colour highlighting the small blush from the warmth of the mall on his cheeks and nose was jarring and brought all of Yuuri’s previous thoughts about him bubbling to the surface, including those he entertained while dancing. He forced himself to concentrate on the conversation with a small gulp.

 

“I’m great! Work is easier now, I’m mostly just repairing older costumes now and making adjustments to new ones that have been sent out and need altering. I’ve been doing some Christmas shopping today…” His eyes flicked from Yuuri to Phichit with a slight questioning look.

 

“Hi, I’m Phichit,” Phichit picked the cue up first, dropping his arm from Yuuri’s shoulders and reaching out to shake the other man’s hand, a friendly grin on his face. This __had__  to be Mr. Perfect judging by Yuuri’s reaction.

 

“Pleasure to meet you, I’m Victor.” He shook Phichit’s hand and then turned to Yuuri, blue eyes wide, suddenly looking aghast. “I just realised, I see you all the time but I don’t know your name!”

 

Yuuri started and then realised it was true, though there was never a good time to introduce yourself to someone you had been bumping into regularly for the last six months.

 

“I’m Yuuri,” he shook Victor’s offered hand as well, surprised at how warm his hands were, even in the mall and the roughness of the skin of his thumb and forefinger as they grazed over his skin before they pulled away again. He could feel a blush appearing on his face again and hoped Phichit and __Victor__  would put it down to the temperature around them. “Please don’t worry, it’s fine! These things happen when you work in retail.”

 

“Yuuri? That’s the name of my apprentice! He’s much grumpier than you, but teenagers, it can’t be helped… Nice to know your name after all this time!” The smile was blinding, the skin at the corners of his eyes creased lightly as they looked down at Yuuri.

 

“What does your apprentice help you with?” Phichit asked - Victor was definitely Mr. Perfect, and judging by the way the glow in his face had dimmed slightly when Phichit had spoken to him and took his attention away from Yuuri, he was clearly harbouring a little crush of his own. Which meant Phichit needed to find out more.

 

“Ah, I design and make costumes for ballet, my apprentice is learning the ropes and how to make things, sewing, embellishment and all of that… It’s been busy because everyone wants costumes for Christmas performances but they have all started now or are about to start, so the hard work is done! Hence all this…” He gestured to the bags surrounding him.

 

“That’s cool! Have you worked on any big shows? I bet you know a lot about ballet!” Phichit persisted, knowing Yuuri wouldn’t pry into this but the two already had something in common. He could see Yuuri looking between him and Victor, waiting for answers and further questions, eyes wide and wondering as the subject of ballet was brought up.

 

“Well some of my costumes were shipped to England for a performance by the Royal Ballet in London, and another for the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia. Those are the big two I have been working on, but then I’ve also been making costumes for a lot of smaller national performances and schools,” Victor paused, seeming to think about the next question. “I used to dance when I was younger, however, one big leg injury later meant no more professional dancing.”

 

“Aah, that must have been upsetting…” Phichit trailed off. That wasn’t an answer he expected, though now he thought about it, the guy did look like he belonged in a ballet performance.

 

Victor nodded, tapping a finger against his lip thoughtfully. “It was at the time, but it meant I was able to go into this as a business of my own - after a lot of training of course! I’m 27 with my own successful business, I can’t complain!” Another smile as he turned to Yuuri, bringing him back into the conversation. “I imagine the shop is busier than ever now?”

 

Yuuri nodded, stunned into silence, brain still trying to comprehend the information he had just been given. Victor was an ex-professional ballet dancer, and now designed the costumes for companies worldwide. He thought back to the shows he had seen in the last few years; had Victor had a hand in some of those?

 

“Did your show ever find a venue?” Victor’s cheer seemed to fade a little with no verbal response from Yuuri.

 

“No, it was cancelled in the end, sadly,” Yuuri waved his hands, guilt creeping back in at the look on Victor’s face - he looked like a kicked puppy. “It’s fine though, with work being as it is it would have been too much in the end…”

 

“That’s a shame. Well, keep trying, there will be more shows and my offer still stands if you need it! I had better leave you to your shopping now, pleased to meet you, Phichit, see you again, Yuuri.”

 

Victor picked up his bags and with a nod and a smile at the two men and vanished into the crowds.

 

Phichit turned to Yuuri and stared at him silently for a moment.

 

“Okay, so I realise we named him Mr. Perfect but I didn’t realise he was actually perfect! And what’s this about a cancelled show?”

 

Yuuri felt a delayed flush creeping into his face.

 

“I wasn’t thinking the day after I got the job and blurted out that I’d had an audition and he keeps asking me about the show every time he sees me. I kept hoping he’d forget but I guess he really likes local shows or something…”

 

“Yuuri, I know you can be oblivious but this is extreme, even for you. The dude clearly just wants an excuse to see you outside of work!” Phichit felt like he was a supportive and understanding friend, but sometimes his bff was an idiot.

 

“It’s not that! It can’t be that, Phichit. Look at him, he looks like he stepped off a catwalk! I look like someone grabbed me out of a laundry basket and said ‘That’ll do’.”

 

Phichit snickered. “One, Yuuri, that is how you dress when it comes to laundry day and you should just own it and two, clothes come off, as you well know…”

 

Yuuri’s face flushed even more. “Phichit! I am not having this discussion!” He picked his bags up and stomped off, Phichit following a moment later, apologising through his laughter.

 

 

 

 

Chris paused as he checked off the rolls of material against the order, loading them into a van with Yuri, his friend’s tall and constantly aggravated apprentice. Victor was inside eyeing his newest shipment of material to see if anything caught his eye, but the slight hunch of his shoulders told Chris that something had happened, and knowing Victor, he was about to find out about it in great depth.

 

“He’s been whining like a kicked puppy since last week, try and talk some sense into him would you?” Yuri said, climbing into the van and starting the engine.

 

“I assume I’ll be dropping him back off at the store then?” Less of a question and more of an amused statement. Apparently the tiny store of patience that Yuri contained had been drained dry.

 

“Make him walk.”

 

Yuri pulled away, leaving Chris standing on the pavement. With a chuckle he stepped back inside, locking the door and changing the sign to ‘closed’ before going to meet his friend - most clients called before visiting anyway so he wasn’t likely to miss anyone; most of his customer base tended to be professionals with businesses of their own. As he stepped into the back room, Victor was holding the corner of a roll between his fingers, rubbing it in small circles to test the quality and no doubt decide where it could be used.

 

“Your apprentice has abandoned you, I’ll give you a lift back to your place when you’re ready,” Chris stepped into a side room, boiling some water and setting up two cups. “I assume you want coffee?”

 

“Yes, please…” Victor sounded dejected as well. This was going to be a long one.

 

Once the drinks were ready, he stepped out and gestured for Victor to follow him into the staff room.

 

“Did something happen with the shop boy? Did you finally ask him out?” Chris slid the mug across the coffee table and waited.

 

“No, I didn’t… I bumped into him at the mall last week but he was there with his boyfriend…” Victor sighed, resting his chin in his hand and staring at his mug.

 

“Oh dear, maybe you should have asked him out six months ago…” Chris suggested, knowing he was being a little unhelpful but unable to resist the urge to point out that Victor had been ignoring his advice from day one.

 

“But then I could have just been that annoying guy who hits on people at work who have to smile and be happy even when they’re creeped out.” He was pouting now. “He said he was doing a show and I thought that would be a good time but he never gave me any information and now it’s been cancelled… I should just face that I’m going to die alone and Makkachin will have to eat my corpse.” Realisation appeared in Victor’s eyes. “Chris! Who will feed Makkachin once I’m gone?”

 

“You make a valid point, Victor. But after a few months of pining it was maybe worth giving it a try. And you will probably outlive Makkachin,” Chris paused for Victor’s horrified gasp, “I know, but it’s true. Makkachin will be well looked after by you for the rest of her life.”

 

Chris took a sip of his tea. “Now, you’re not going to die alone, you just missed on this one guy. There are plenty of others out there who would love to be hit on by you, among other things.”

 

“None like him though, he’s so cute, Chris. You have no idea…”

 

“I’m sure I don’t…” Chris replied, tapping his finger on his mug as he tried to think of some way to cheer Victor up.

 

“He has such beautiful eyes, Chris, and he wears these giant glasses that are adorable…” Victor’s eyes widened as he seemed to come to a realisation. “Chris! What if the show hasn’t been cancelled and he was just trying to stop me from asking because he has a boyfriend who is going and he thought I was being too forward?” Victor sank back into his chair with a moan, abandoning his tea completely.

 

“Victor, didn’t he say it was an amateur show? They get started and cancelled all the time for any number of reasons. I’m sure if it was running he’d want people to see it, including you.” Chris sighed. Talking was not going to work, time for the next step.

 

“I think it’s time for you to relax. The club I teach pole dancing in has a new performer and he’s a sight to behold; what are you doing on Friday night? If he can’t make you forget this lost love of yours, nothing will. A night of alcohol and debauchery will surely liven you up a little, if only so that apprentice of yours doesn’t kill you in your sleep.”

 

“Yuri says I’m turning into Georgi,” Victor mumbled, still slouched back in the chair.

 

“You are a little, yes.” Chris was not one for lying - he’d heard tales of Georgi and his break-ups from Victor and this sounded exactly like it.

 

“I don’t know if it’ll cheer me up though, the strip shows we’ve been to before were fun but there was no real…” Victor waved his hands around as he searched for the word, “connection? Interest? It didn’t do a lot for me shall we say…”

 

“Aah, my friend, this is cabaret and burlesque - we have singing, dancing and comedy, not just stripping - though there is plenty of that too. It’s a new experience for you if nothing else, and if you don’t enjoy it I will buy you drinks all night.”

 

A loud sigh. “Fine.”

 

“Good, 8:30? The show starts at 9pm.”

 

Victor nodded and finally reached for his coffee, a pout firmly fixed on his face.

 

 

 

Chris paid Victor’s way into the club; his treat to cheer a friend up or so he said, Victor wasn’t inclined to argue. He was still unconvinced that this show would help; his ‘everything will turn out fine’ outlook on life had just taken a severe beating. After several months of dancing around Yuuri he was sure his crush was mutual, especially considering the cute blush that appeared every time he began talking to him…

 

Seeing him with someone else had been a shock, though understandable now that Victor thought about it. He would hardly be the only person to notice Yuuri’s charms. He could feel a pout forming as he remembered the casual way the other man had his arm thrown across Yuuri’s shoulders…

 

“Victor, we’re in a happy place, remember?” Chris nudged him with his elbow as they made their way down the corridor and into the main room, led by the sound of some relaxed jazz music. “What drink do you want?”

 

“Vodka.”

 

Chris sighed. “Vodka and coke for now, if you’re still miserable after the first round of performances I’ll buy you a bottle. Go get that table by the stage,” he gestured to where he meant and then walked off to the bar.

 

Victor made his way to the table, noticing the reserved sign on it - Chris had been determined to give him a good look at the new act it seemed. He glanced around, the décor of the club definitely aimed for that vintage club feel. The crowd seemed to be an equal mix of men and women, a change from previous shows where it had been leaning more toward one or the other depending on the performers.

 

“See anything you like?” Chris asked as he sat down, placing Victor’s drink in front of him.

 

“No, I was just thinking the crowd was about equal here.”

 

“Well they have two men and two women performing, so it’s equal on stage as well. That might be why, though I think some of these are regulars who know the performers. The group of young ladies over there is here every weekend, I do believe one is engaged to the other man here,” Chris took a sip of his drink. “And the brother and his friend of one of the women always hangs out at the bar. He never watches mind, just likes to stick around to make sure his sister is protected. Never mind that there’s never been a problem here yet, everyone is pretty chilled out.”

 

“Do they make the audience participate?” Victor asked, visions of being dragged up on stage and forced to sit in a chair and feign interest in someone dancing around him flashing through his mind.

 

“Sometimes, but only if you look interested. One look at your face and they’ll give you a miss right now. You are required to cheer with great gusto though, the MC watches and if he thinks you’re too quiet you will be publicly shamed.” Chris sounded amused by the whole thing.

 

“...They do audience shaming?” Victor made a mental note to whoop and cheer regularly.

 

“Well, Victor. If I was making removing clothing into an art form, I’d want some enthusiastic applause as well.”

 

“I’m surprised you’re not up there.”

 

“Well this is a strip tease show, I prefer to be naked or nearly naked and spinning on a pole, which makes for a good work-out. Burlesque is all about the slow tease, though the new guy did seem to have a few pole moves on him as well when I saw his audition.”

 

“What was he like?”

 

“Now now, Victor. I can’t ruin the mystery. That’s part of the fun! I certainly didn’t expect him to be so good though… He’s a natural.”

 

“High praise, coming from you,” Victor snorted.

 

“Indeed. Don’t write the performers off just yet, they’re all very good at what they do. It was just the two women, but they hired the two men recently and business has picked up. I think the MC is pretty involved in media and advertising as well so I imagine this place is gonna start to get busier soon.”

 

“Do you know the owners then?”

 

“The Nishigoris, yes, they’re a nice couple. Yuuko used to dance herself but gave up after having children. They put a lot into this place so I’m glad it’s working out for them. They’ve been just about breaking even most of the time, but I think news that men have joined the line up has bought a wider variety of custom in. As you said, it’s equal now, it used to be more men. I think some of those stopped coming once men started showing up on stage, but they were soon replaced.” Chris grinned. “Though a few seem to have taken a very confused shine to the newest man. Watching them puzzle that out while he performs is borderline hilarious.”

 

Victor nodded. He liked hearing success stories for small businesses; it was uplifting to hear people doing well and he remembered how it was when he had just started out.

 

“They have a live band as well?” Victor nodded to the bandstand which currently only had a man stood next to a sound system, though several instruments were sat waiting to be used.

 

“They do, usually they play music during the breaks and during the live acts that are instrumental and the ones where the performer is singing, though only one of the women sings at the moment.”

 

Victor sipped at his drink, admitting to himself that focusing on something different __had__  taken some of the sting of his indirect-rejection away. __Some__  of it.

 

A drum roll suddenly began, lights dimming and the sound of chatter among the audience dying down to be replaced with cheers and applause. A young East Asian man in a slim fitting suit took the stage, dark hair neatly styled, a hint of eyeliner and looking for all intends and purposes, like a disney prince; Victor would have said he was ill-suited to such a venue but the smile on his face promised them an evening of sinful delights.

 

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Arthur King here to help warm you up this evening! I hope you’re all ready got a good time this evening?”

 

Applause and cheers sounded from the audience, though judging by the unimpressed look on the host’s face, this reaction this wasn’t enough. Chris hadn’t lied, he was strict.

 

“I’ll let that slide since it’s the first one and I realise you’re all a bit chilly, but I expect better. This is a give and take show, ladies and gentlemen,” he wandered across the stage as he talked. “You give lots of cheers and applause - and I mean lots, and we take items of clothing off.” Several cheers sounded from the audience. “Not me, the dancers! This suit is far too expensive to be thrown around. Now, a bit of practice for you, if one of our performers is thinking about removing an item of clothing, what do you do?”

 

He cupped a hand to his ear, smiling at the reaction he received. Victor made sure to join in with the loud cheering; this cheerful man on stage was a little scary.

 

“That’s exactly it, and when that item of clothing is taken off, what do you do?”

 

Louder cheers, a group of people in the booths began stomping their feet on the floor.

 

“Perfect! Looks like I won’t have to shame anyone today, but I will be watching. If I catch you slacking on applause I will be paying you a visit between performances! Now, for our first act of the evening, she’s beautiful, she’s sexy and she can bench press a grown man! She’s taking us out west to tell us about the woes of being so damn gorgeous! Ladies and gentleman, please give it up for [Ruby Rum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nXI6r6aCoU)!”

 

Victor clapped dutifully as a gorgeous red-head strutted onto the stage wearing jeans, leather chaps and a flannel shirt with a cowboy hat. Not the attire he had been expecting to see, though it fit with the song, one he had heard on the radio recently. He watched, feeling a small smile appearing on his face as the show went on - it was certainly more amusing than he had thought it would be. The woman knew how to work the audience, changing from coy smiles to a big grin when she ripped her jeans off stripper style, revealing the brown leather fringed bra and knickers with black stockings and suspender belt. The hat remained on at all times, being removed only so the dancer could cover herself as she took her underwear off, leaving her on stage in only a pair of leather nipple tassels. The lights dimmed as she almost skipped off stage.

 

Victor and Chris made sure to cheer and clap as much as possible, especially as they were in the line of sight of the host as he reappeared.

 

“As you can see, everyone, it’s so terribly hard being a gorgeous heart-breaker! Let me hear it one more time for Ruby Rum!”

 

Applause sounded throughout the room as the MC appeared.

 

“Now time for our next act! Hardy Goldenrod-” Victor came dangerously close to snorting his drink through his nose- “-is here to entertain you, and lucky for you it’s what he [does best](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F2hqlV8-N8)!”

 

This time a man entered the stage - he was good-looking and was built like he wouldn’t be out of place on a ballet stage - slim yet seemingly muscular, a well fitting suit clinging to him in all the right places. Confidence flowed off him in waves; this was a man who knew what he was good at and had no doubt other people felt the same. Victor could see signs of dance training in him, though the style tended to remind him more of the male strippers he had seen in the past and seemed to focus less on humour than the previous act, though he supposed they would all do things differently. However he still made sure to cheer and clap dutifully. A glance over at the group of women Chris had mentioned earlier made it clear who his fiancee was - she stood up to applaud, as did several of her friends as his performance finished.

 

“I love that Hardy has his own fanclub here! Happy Birthday, Isabella!” The group of women all cheered, the audience giving scattered applause as well. “He’s a lucky man, don’t you let him forget it!”

 

Victor saw her mouth ‘I won’t’ with a laugh.

 

“Now, I’m sure he thoroughly entertained you with that! Honestly, he makes taking a suit off an art…”

 

“His suit was expensive and he threw it on the floor!” Chris suddenly yelled, startling Victor. Apparently Chris was comfortable with Arthur.

 

Arthur pointed at Chris. “If there’s gonna be nudity while I’m on stage, it’ll only be because you’re up here and dancing, Giacometti! This suit goes nowhere!”

 

“Aww, just one thing?” Chris was supported by several cheers from among the audience.

 

Arthur looked unamused before sighing as the audience cheering and applauding increased in volume.

  
”Fine! But only because you’ve all been so well behaved before!” Arthur fixed his microphone into a stand and began to take his jacket off, stopping and giving the band a look as the brass player began to play the opening notes of The Stripper.

 

Cheers increased and Arthur removed his jacket with a mild flourish, looking comically put out the entire time.

 

“Loosen the bow-tie and the buttons!”

 

“That’s all you’re getting from me folks!” He ignored the aww noises coming from the audience. “Someone far sexier than me is waiting backstage to take her clothes off and sing you a song, are you sure you’d rather watch me take my clothes off while yelling at people?”

 

Chris cheered and was shushed by Arthur. “Okay, aside from Giacometti, I imagine you would all love to see a real burlesque act right now. Miss Bella Ti Amo is here to tell us about those people, you know, the ones who are so __toxic__  but you just can’t let go! Ladies and gentlemen, all your applause for Bella Ti Amo!”

 

The next woman strolled onto the stage, this time all dark hair and doe eyes in a long blue dress; the picture of what Victor had already been expecting when the show began. [The band](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZILsHowUjpQ) began to play, live music filling the room as the woman began to sing, hips swaying gently with the music. Victor let her voice wash over him; her singing was far better than he had expected. He had been prepared to overlook some mediocre singing while she stripped but even as her clothes began to be thrown aside, her voice didn’t waver. Eventually, she stood in blue nipple pasties and a bejewelled g-string as the lights went down and she strolled off the stage, still waving.

 

Victor continued his dutiful applause; the acts were better than he expected, and more varied as well which made the rest of the night a little more appealing.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, isn’t her voice just amazing? Bella Ti Amo!” He held an arm up, inciting more cheering before continuing.

 

“Well ladies and gentlemen, it is time for our final act for this segment before we let you quench what I am sure is now a great and overpowering thirst! He has a taste for the finer things in life-” Victor felt Chris’ elbow nudge his ribs “-and quite frankly I think we all need to try our best to make that happen! For your delight! Eros!”

 

The lights went down again and Victor saw the silhouette of the next performer stroll onto the stage before coming to a halt in the centre. As the stage lights came on [accompanied](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tiUGmXGjp8) by a quiet piano tune which was briefly overpowered by the audience’s applause, Victor’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the dancer. A long black dress covered the man on stage, a Chinese style collar clinging to the base of a pale throat and flowing down, clinging to his torso, highlighting a slim waist before following a slight curve of his hips and dropping down to his ankles. A scandalously high slit up one side of the dress revealed a stocking clad leg and the exposed skin above it as far up as his hip and Victor was sure he could see the curve of his butt through the slit. He reached for his drink, throat suddenly feeling like it wasn’t working properly.

 

Victor’s eyes trailed back up the figure to his face, dark eyes focused on the audience, a small smirk on his reddened lips as he looked over the audience, no doubt ensuring all eyes were on him. A slow sway of his hips began with the beat of the song as his glove-covered hands wandered along his body, highlighting every curve as they traveled down, stopping at his groin and travelling back up again, fingers coming to a rest on his lips. His lips parted, eyes focusing on someone sat directly in front of the stage as he bit down on the tips of his gloves, pulling the ends of the same finger on each glove loose with one pull. With a flourish he pulled his arms free, still holding the gloves between his teeth and grabbed the ends as they fell, pulling them taut in front of him with one hand. Reaching up with his free hand, he wrapped his fingers around the gloves, slowly running it up and down the gloves in an unmistakable motion that left Victor loosening his collar. Eros threw the gloves behind him, smirk widening as the audience began cheering him on.

 

Reaching up to his collar, Eros began unfastening buttons, again following the beat, small flashes of skin beginning to be exposed as the dress was pulled further and further apart, the buttons angling from the neck to below the arm. Eros kept the upper part of the dress held against his neck, not allowing any more skin to show as he began to meander across the stage, away from where Victor and Chris sat, clearly waiting for more feedback before continuing. The audience needed no further hints and cheering and clapping began, Victor joining in enthusiastically this time, unbuttoning his collar further as the room began to get uncomfortably warm.

 

With a dramatic turn that made full use of the slit in the dress to show off a muscular thigh, he began to move across the stage again, imploring the audience for more cheering before the dress would be removed. As he came to a stop, Eros looked down, eyes meeting with Victor’s. Victor saw Eros’ mouth open slightly, red lips parting, lipstick still perfectly in place despite the gloves being pulled off by his teeth. Their gaze held for what felt like a life time, something Victor couldn’t recognise stirring in the performer’s eyes, the stage lights picking out the rich brown of his irises as time seemed to freeze. Eros broke the contact, leaving Victor to inhale a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding and turning his back to the audience and swaying his hips again as he made a show of reaching for the hidden zipper on the side of the dress, connecting where the buttons ended to the top of the side slit. Looking coyly over his shoulder, Eros reached a hand across and slowly pulled the zipper down. Victor’s eyes followed his hand, catching the moment the base of the zipper unfastened and Eros’ hand grabbed the material to keep it closed, still keeping himself covered.

 

With a slow turn, Eros faced the audience again, smirk firmly back in place as he let the top of the dress fall open, exposing part of his chest, a red, sparkling nipple pastie revealed. Keeping the waist held, Eros slid the shoulder of the dress down his arm, before rolling his other shoulder, allowing the material to drop down to his waist. He began walking across the stage again, beginning the open the side of the dress before closing it again, waiting for the desired level of noise before the dress would finally be removed. He came to a stop close to Victor’s side of the stage and cupped his hand to his ear, inciting a higher pitch of cheering than had been heard all night. Victor’s heart almost stopped for a moment as Eros glanced down at him from the corner of his eye before smirking and throwing his dress behind him.

 

Victor briefly felt Chris’ fingers below his chin pushing his jaw back up - silently thanking him for preserving some of his dignity - as Eros stood before him in all his glittery red and black lingerie clad glory. A black suspender belt held the stockings up and a red, glittery g-string that matches the pasties barely covering what needed to be covered, the straps riding high, drawing Victor’s eye along the line of his hip.

 

He felt his jaw start to fall open again as Eros stuck a grand battement ballet pose - raising his leg high behind him supporting it with one hand while the other plucked the shoe off, a risky move in such a small g-string, and tossed it behind him to the back of the stage. He calmly brought the leg down again, repeating the process on the other foot. Shoes gone, Eros brought up his knee, running his hands down his thigh before sliding them back to the clasp that held the stockings in place, Victor’s eyes trailing along after his hands, admiring the visible musculature visible even through the stockings - Eros was certainly a trained dancer of some sort.

 

With a flick of his fingers Eros opened the clasp, the suspender strap swinging loosely now, then he turned sideways to the audience, back to Victor. His hand slid over his thigh, skirting to the back where the next clasp lay. He dragged his fingers up to his butt, slapping it lightly with a grin, receiving a few whoops and cheers as he slid it back down and unfastened the next clasp. He began the process of sliding the stocking down his leg, before swinging it behind him, not as high as before but enough to pull the stocking taut before whipping it off and throwing it aside. He switched to the other leg, undoing the clasps - Victor both disappointed and grateful that the spanking wasn’t repeated - before removing the stocking in the same way.

 

Eros held it taught in front of him, glancing innocently around the room for a moment before holding it up like a slingshot at the audience. As the song came to an end he aimed it at Victor, letting go as it flew through the air, landing on Victor’s head, the faint scent of cologne following it. Eros laughed along with the track raising his hand and waving goodbye to the audience as he sauntered off stage, swinging his hips in a delightfully alluring way, the suspender straps swaying across his butt as he walked, Victor wondering how soft the skin would feel below his fingers…

 

The house erupted into applause, cheering and whooping and stomping as the MC appeared again. Victor blinked and joined in, not wishing to be accused of not applauding that performance.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, for those currently having cardiac problems I would like you to be aware we have both oxygen and a defibrillator on the premises should you require them. Otherwise I suggest a drink at the bar or a very cold shower. One last time, Eros!”

 

Further applause and cheering before the MC took a bow and left the stage, the lights beginning to come on again.

 

“I hate to sound smug, but I told you so.” Chris had a pleased smile on his face as he looked over his friend.

 

“I can’t argue with that…” Victor replied, momentarily stunned.

 

“I’ll get you a drink while you collect your brain together,” Chris reached over and tugged the stocking from his head and putting it in Victor’s hands, “you look like you need to cool off a little.”

 

Victor nodded, staring at the stage where Eros had sauntered off, fingers rubbing the fine material of the stocking.

 

 

 

 

“Oh my god, Yuuri! I can’t believe you did that!” Phichit burst into their changing room, borderline shouting in his excitement.

 

“I can’t believe I did that either!” Yuuri currently had his face buried in his arms over their new dressing table. The room had been upgraded and now a large screen covered the corner where the clothes rail and drawers sat. The table had been replaced with a large vintage style dresser that had been repainted in a slightly paler version of the coffee coloured walls, and now both men had a proper chair to sit in and Mila and Sara had insisted on procuring them a chaise lounge as well so now visitors could sit comfortably instead of the previous chair thievery that had been happening.

 

“You spanked yourself and flicked your stocking at Mr. Perfect - sorry, Victor!” Phichit was giggling madly. “And where did you learn that trick with the gloves? I thought my Yuuri was all sweet and innocent! That was the filthiest thing I have seen here so far!”

 

Yuuri groaned. “Don’t remind me! It seemed like a good idea at the time… Why did I do that Phichit? I know I get into character but why did I decide to do _ _that__?”

 

Phichit paused in his giggling for a moment. His friend was talented and generally intelligent but also a little oblivious. “Well considering it was all done for his benefit, Yuuri, I believe it can be called flirting!”

 

“I was not flirting! I can’t flirt with someone like that… I nearly had a heart attack when I realised it was him!”

 

“Well ‘someone like that’ certainly enjoyed the show judging by the look on his face. You didn’t see the moment where Chris had to push his mouth closed! And you covered your heart attack up well, Mila will be proud!”

 

“Oh God, he knows Chris! What if Chris tells him about me?” Yuuri could feel his heart begin to pound. It would only take one comment from Chris for Victor to figure out who he was.

 

“Chris won’t say anything, he knows you want to keep this a secret from everything else…” Phichit patted him on the back.

 

A knock at the door halted their conversation. Chris stepped into the room a moment later.

 

“Did I hear my name just then? All good, I hope.” He purred, a small smile on his face. “Well done, Yuuri. You have successfully fried my friend’s brain. I’ve left him with his drink… and your stocking. That was a new move.”

 

“Told you he liked it, Yuuri.” Phichit said, grinning. “Yuuri was flirting and didn’t realise it.”

 

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Well he’s just been rejected which is why I bought him here, I figured you’d cheer him up. I like being right. If you like the look of him Yuuri, I’m sure he’d be happy to return your stocking to you…”

 

“No! No, no….it’s okay! He can leave it on the table or something when you leave…” Yuuri could feel his face getting warm.

 

“I don’t know, I think he might end up taking it with him as a souvenir,” Chris said, dragging out the last word.

 

“Then he can have it, I’ll buy more.” Yuuri replied hastily, not liking the way Chris emphasised the last word.

 

“Fine fine,” Chris said, “Thought I’d pass the good feedback on, you’re truly a natural, Yuuri. Looking forward to the rest of your performances tonight!” Chris winked and left Yuuri and Phichit alone again.

 

Yuuri groaned. “How am I gonna survive the rest of the night?”

 

“Yeah, how are you gonna top spanking yourself, flicking a stocking at an audience member, with bulls-eye precision mind, and miming a hand-job on your gloves in one performance?” Phichit said, unable to resist pointing this out again.

 

Yuuri was ready to crawl underneath the dressing table never to come out. Getting into character was one thing but sometimes when put on the spot he could sometimes take it a little far, though it always seemed to work for him in this job…

 

“Come on, let’s get you prettied up for round two - your goal tonight is to make us break out the oxygen tank on someone! Preferably Victor!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Yuuri goes all out when he is nervous as it turns out! At least you didn't fall off stage, Yuuri...
> 
> As always comments keep me living! I have a new university assignment that has been started and I need to get working on cosplay, so updates are likely to be every other week for now! This is now almost the longest fic I have ever written, and the last one of this length took me 12 years...
> 
> Your feedback and my feelings about YOI apparently give me a lot to write about (also I really want to write in some future performances!)
> 
> Thank you for the feedback and kudos so far! <3
> 
> Did anyone guess where Phichit's stage name came from?


	7. B is for Ballet Pose #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Local idiots are idiots during the Christmas period.
> 
> Chris and Phichit are suffering.
> 
> What will Yuuri throw at Victor this week?
> 
> I am sorry that all music links are to Christmas songs!

Yuuri stifled a yawn as he lifted the crate of fruit from the cage and into the newly cleared space in the refrigerator. The store was still reasonably quiet, Monday morning thinning the crowds despite the shadow of Christmas looming over them. His body protested as he began moving the crates around, limbs straining against the weight of produce as the late nights at the club followed by days at the store began to catch up.

 

 _ _‘Think of the money…’__ Yuuri repeated the mantra in his brain, ignoring the ever present desire to go home and crawl back into bed. The thought of ending the Christmas period with left over money in his bank propelled him forwards. Now that his Christmas shopping had been completed and extras for the club had been bought, his bank balance was feeling a little worse for wear. After Christmas he would be in a position to quit, then he would have more free time for practising for auditions and for the club.

 

He dragged the cage further down the aisle, parking near the next bit that needed to be filled; fresh packaged fruit. Images of Victor’s face as he watched him at the club crept into his mind, the innocuous packages of prepared pineapple now forever associated with the other man. Yuuri was notoriously terrible at reading people when it came to attraction, he knew this, but even his limited abilities couldn’t misread the look on Victor’s face as he watched him on stage. Seemingly frozen as he tracked Yuuri across the stage, eyes widened every time Yuuri glanced at him, lips parted slightly, a blush fanning across his cheeks, visible even in the dimmed lights…

 

A blush crept across his own cheeks. Embarrassing, over-the-top moments by Eros aside, he had enjoyed the feeling that accompanied Victor’s reaction. A giddy rush of excitement that flowed through his veins into every bone, muscle and tendon, somehow making the flow of his dance easier to control. When it hit, it felt like he and Victor were the only ones in the room, all others forgotten. Phichit later tried to attach a name to it when Yuuri described it to him.

 

“ _ _Yuuri, that’s called ‘my crush likes me back’, some part of your weird and wonderful brain has started feeling desirable. I’m not surprised even you picked up on it, Victor is not a subtle man! I swear the only thing that could make him look away from you was a natural disaster. It changed something in your performance though, I’m not sure what but it’s like you levelled up! You cracked the burlesque secret or something!”__

__

Since that conversation, Yuuri had been mulling those words over. Desirable was a new one; he knew he wasn’t bad looking, but he was also not someone who ever got second - or first - looks in the street. His previous relationships had always been brief and were always initiated by someone who had already spent time with him.

 

Certainly no one had ever looked at him for a minute and decided he was attractive on the spot. And as Eros, plenty of people seemed to enjoy his performances but he never registered that any of them desired him…

 

As for his own desire…

 

Yuuri chewed his bottom lip as he pursued this train of thought, when he had been asked on dates previously, he had accepted it on the basis that he had liked spending time with the other person and had never thought of a reason to say no. Inevitably the relationship would fizzle out, usually through ballet taking a higher priority than anything else. It felt different this time.

 

When Victor was around some weird mixture of anxiety and excitement began bubbling in his stomach and his heart felt like it was in his throat. The small crush he had been nursing seemed to have come raging to life with the knowledge that he was able to induce such a reaction in Victor…

 

He exhaled and took a deep breath, focusing back on his work.

 

He hadn’t induced that reaction, __Eros__  had. And Eros was very much not Yuuri, with all his anxieties, his prioritisation of his work, his glasses, slightly scruffy jumpers and cupboard stuffed with packets of ramen…

 

He sighed. If nothing else, Eros was him, physically, and Victor certainly enjoyed that. Yuuri was going to take what he could get from this situation.

 

“Good morning, Yuuri!”

 

Yuuri started violently, a small squeak escaping his mouth before he could stop it. Victor stood beside him, shopping basket in hand, small smile on his face.

 

“Ah, good morning, Victor!”

 

“Did you manage to get all your Christmas shopping done the other week?”

 

“I did, thank you. How about you? You were carrying a lot of bags…”

 

“I got most of it done, sadly when I go shopping it’s one for you, one for me… So I may have bought myself a few things too…” Victor laughed quietly at himself. “I enjoy shopping.”

 

Yuuri nodded. “I don’t, me and Phichit both hate it so we agreed that we were going to go out and do it all in one day. We had lists and everything.”

 

Victor seemed to falter for a moment, smile vanishing from his face briefly before reappearing. “At least it’s over now though, I imagine you’re spending a lot of time here now? Make sure you’re not working too hard though, you looked zoned out when I saw you!”

 

“I am working a lot at the moment but the money will come in useful and it’s only once a year…” He paused, unsure what else to say. “At least your busy period is over now so you can celebrate Christmas?”

 

Victor nodded, the smile on his face frozen in place. “Yeah, not a lot planned. Just resting, seeing some friends…”

 

Something in Yuuri desperately wanted to find out about Victor’s thoughts on the club, maybe a little push…

 

“Did you see them at the weekend? Or have you been working again?”

 

“Oh no, I went out, a friend took me to a club to…” he paused for a moment, “for something to do, I’d never been before and he works there part time.”

 

“Was it good?”

 

“Much better than expected, actually… How about you? Did you and…Phichit? Do anything?”

 

“No, just worked, nothing interesting.”

 

They fell into an awkward pause. Yuuri wanted to pursue the club some more but couldn’t think of a way without either potentially giving Victor a lead or seeming really creepy.

 

“Well, don’t work too hard, remember to take some time to rest! Say ‘hi’ to Phichit for me.” With that same frozen smile - Yuuri was sure it was a fake one by this point - and a wave, Victor left - taking a carton of pineapple with him.

 

Yuuri watched him go. Something had been off with Victor today, though he wasn’t sure what. He didn’t seem sad like he had before but something was not right.

 

A small shiver ran through Yuuri. What if he had been distracted by Eros… he must seem dull in comparison. He sighed and turned back to his work. Well who would be interested in Yuuri who had yanked a jumper from his laundry basket in a panic this morning when they could be around made-up to perfection Eros instead?

 

He swallowed and then gave a small decisive nod. Once Christmas was over he would quit, since it meant not having the proof of Eros’ superiority waved in his face.

 

 

 

 

“I went back to the store again…” Victor mumbled.

 

Chris closed the taxi door, giving the driver Euphoria’s address before turning to Victor, one eyebrow raised.

 

“Was he there?”

 

“Yes.” Victor’s pout had returned.

 

“And did you ask him out?”

 

“No. He has a boyfriend.”

 

“So how did it benefit you exactly?” Chris had every sympathy with his friend, but sometimes he didn’t seem to be able to help himself.

 

“I wanted some shopping and I just wanted to see him again…” The pout remained.

 

Chris sighed. Victor spoke to this other man in short bursts every two weeks but was sure they had a connection of some sort; though that could be Victor’s ever present optimism and bull-headed stubbornness.

 

“Here’s an idea. Wait until the busy rush of Christmas is over, then go in and ask him out for a drink __as friends__ ,” Chris began, cutting Victor off as he opened his mouth. “Then you can find out if he is __really__ in a relationship and if he is you can turn that connection into a friendly one. More importantly, this will either cheer you up and the two of you will hit it off or you’ll realise that on talking neither of you have anything in common and you can move on.”

 

Victor opened and closed his mouth several times.

 

“Okay. I’ll do that after the new year. When he’s had time to recover from Christmas.”

 

“That’a boy. Until then you can drown your sorrows with Eros,” Chris’ eyebrow raised again, a sly grin appearing with it. “So whatever happened to that stocking he gave you?”

 

Victor’s face flushed. “Nothing! I put it in the drawer!”

 

“Mmhmm. Well here’s hoping you get another one to match,” he drawled.

 

“Aren’t we going to look a little creepy sitting at the front for the second week in a row?” Victor asked.

 

“Nah, the club has a whole bunch of regulars who like their favourite acts. I think you’ll just be the first one for Eros. He’s popular with everyone but he has no fans __yet__. Well, except you.”

 

Victor nodded. It didn’t sound so bad if other people turned up every week as well.

 

“Anyway, it’s Christmas week so the performances will be themed, Arthur put some photos on the instagram. There’s one of Eros on there too…”

 

Victor dug his phone from his pocket before Chris had the chance to finish his sentence, pulling the app up and searching for the account. Sure enough, a new account had been made with a handful of pictures of the venue, a photo of a blank Christmas tree sat to the side of the stage. He saw the pictures of the dancers, posed-casual photos of them in various places of the club. A quick scroll found Eros, wearing the dress Victor had seen him in the previous week, stood on stage with his arms behind his head, looking down at the camera.

 

Victor gulped.

 

“I assume that one is going in the spank bank then…” Chris’ voice broke through Victor’s thoughts.

 

Victor frowned at Chris. “Don’t be crass.”

 

“Have we met?”

 

Victor snorted and was given a grin in response.

 

“You didn’t deny it…”

 

“Shush!” Victor said, hitting the follow button before putting his phone away again. “I bet you three rounds of drinks that we hear Santa Baby in the first set.”

 

“You’re on. Did I mention I already know the set-list?”

 

“That’s not fair!”

 

Chris laughed as the taxi pulled to a halt outside the club. They paid the man and then made their way inside and to their usual table.

 

“Rum and coke for me, please,” Chris asked with a grin as he took his seat.

 

“Fine, fine…” Victor stopped by the bar to get their drinks before joining Chris. They were sat in the same table though now a Christmas tree sat at their side of the stage, void of decorations. Other than that, there hadn’t been much effort to welcome the Christmas period in the club. He supposed most people were probably sick of the holiday season at this point; themed stripping was probably all some people could handle.

 

As they made plans for Christmas - Victor (and Makkachin) would be joining Chris and his partner as his parents were away for the holidays so going back to Russia held no appeal to him. In his younger days Christmas had been filled with never-ending practice and performances, time spent away from his home and he travelled for work until the day his injury stopped him. In the years he spent trying to regain his old strength, spending Christmas doing anything but practice or work felt as though there was a restless itch below his skin that he could never quite get rid of unless he focused on something. As it became clear that he would never dance professionally again he threw himself into costume design and eventually began his own now successful business. Which allowed him to work to his heart’s content but his friend had decided this year that Victor needed a change.

 

In his heart of hearts, Victor knew Chris was right. He had spent a life time on his work - dancing followed by design and while he enjoyed both - there was nothing new any more. Nothing in his line of work challenged him ,, nothing had been of interest to him for a while…

 

Until Yuuri - wide-eyed, blushing Yuuri who one moment was hefting crates of fruit and vegetables into the display units and moments later glided across the aisle without thought to rearrange something or help someone, every inch of this bespectacled young man flitting between downtrodden shop assistant and highly trained dancer. This young man who bit his lip when he was thoughtful, and frowned at merchandise that fell as though it had personally offended him and whose smile lit up his face when he finally showed it…

 

And Eros. Nothing Victor had ever come to expect when he entered this club, every movement highlighting the control over his body - and the audience. Every glance, every smirk setting a fire in Victor that he was sure he had only briefly experienced as a teenager, and even then he had worked through it.

 

Finally the lights dimmed, shaking Victor from his thoughts. The cheering began as Arthur strolled onto the stage, revelling in the attention.

 

“Good evening everyone! We have a festive treat for you tonight! As you know we will be closed next weekend for the holidays so everyone can have some family time,” a couple of men form the back of the club began booing “I know, but it’s healthy for you to see the daylight every now and then. It also gives us time to think up some new surprises for you all! So let’s start Christmas with a bang! Our goal in this first set is to decorate the tree! The first performer is our amazing Ruby Rum who wants to talk about her own Christmas tree…”

 

The [music ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cP8RzHHhVI)began as Ruby Rum strutted onto stage wearing a red cardigan, a skirt made of lit up fairy lights and stockings and red sparkly shoes. Soon devoid of all items of clothing, with a final round of applause she dropped her skirt and skipped over to the tree. She placed her skirt over the top and then unfastened two clips either side, allowing the wrap of lights to fall loose around the tree. With a smug grin she posed and ran off the stage.

 

“Well the first layer of decorations are on the tree, and honestly I am more impressed with the fact that they weren’t tangled up… Ruby Rum, ladies and gentlemen! Give her a well deserved round of applause!”

 

He paused as further cheering filled the club, allowing it to settle before he continued.

 

“And now, Eros! Bringing a ridiculously sexy twist to a Christmas classic! Let’s see what he’ll be decorating the tree with!”

 

Victor leaned forward, resting his arms on the table as Arthur left the stage, the lights dimming further. As the [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCabI3MdV9g) began, Eros strolled onto the stage, wearing a long red coat lined with white faux fur - a luxurious version of the Santa coat, the material reaching down to his knees, thighs dancing in and out of view as he moved, white stockings and glittery black dance shoes covering his feet.

 

Eros seemed to become one with the music, the nature of the club seemingly forgotten as he glided across the stage. The usual coy expressions he wore were absent, his face gazing off into the distance, more the look of a solo danseur than a cabaret act. Victor’s eyes trailed him, following the point of his feet and hands as they moved, the trained dancer in him appreciating the small technical perfections Eros demonstrated every time he took to the stage.

 

Eros came to a halt as the music slowly faded to a stop. With a crash of drums, something in Eros’ face changed, the serene far-off gaze changing to the familiar stare of Eros, apparently now having decided he was ready to entertain the audience. He reached for the buttons on the coat, popping them open on the beat, staring down the audience, a small smirk on his face as cheering and wolf-whistling began. Turning his back on the audience, he dropped the coat down his shoulders, shaking them in time to the guitar, revealing the skin and coyly glancing over his shoulder before dropping it further to more cheering, revealing the top of a red, strapless dress, the material sparkling under the stage lights.

 

Scooping the coat up and around himself again he turned to face the audience before dramatically throwing it aside, revealing a black waist cincher over the dress. The music quietened down as he began to take off his gloves, sliding the material gently down his arms, drawing Victor’s gaze as his arms and then hands were revealed. For a moment, Eros glanced his way, their eyes meeting before Eros turned back to the task at hand.

 

As the music began to pick up again, Eros reached behind and began to untie the ribbon holding his corset in place, giving several sharp tugs on the beat with a grin as he strutted across the stage. Reaching to the front, he began popping the buttons of the corset open at the front, grin turning devilish as cheers continued. He whipped it off, dangling it in front of his body for a moment before tossing it to the back of the stage.

 

Victor let his eyes trail along Eros’ body, following the curves and edges barely hidden by the dress that was barely long enough to cover anything, white straps of the suspender belt standing out against the muscular thighs and trailing down his legs. As he turned to stroll across the stage, Victor’s eyes drifted back up. The dress was indeed barely covering anything, the curve of Eros' ass just visible below the sparkly material. Something he no doubt knew from the way his hips swayed as he walked.

 

Reaching into the top of the dress, Eros pulled what looked like the edge of a scarf free, reaching his arms up he flicked his wrist and the scarf lengthened, a line of the dress unwrapping from around his chest. As cheers began to swell from the audience again he gave another flick and removed another line of the dress.

 

He began meandering across the stage, twirling the edge of the scarf in his hand and appearing to look for something in the audience, an exaggerated look of thoughtfulness on his face. Victor felt his heart stop momentarily as Eros came to a stop in front of him, a smirk replacing the look of thoughtfulness on his face; whatever Eros had in mind, Victor was very aware that he had been chosen for it.

 

Eros began gesturing for Victor to stand. Trying his best to seem calm and poised, instead of the strange mixture of fear and arousal he currently felt, he pushed himself to his feet and moved closer to the stage as Eros called him closer, Chris’ hand firmly planting itself on his ass and giving him a shove.

 

Eros handed him the edge of the dress he was holding and took a couple of steps back, turning once to release another line of the dress before bringing his gaze back to Victor. Eros’ feet came together in a resting fourth position; ready to pirouette - a stance Victor would recognise anywhere. With a nod, Victor wrapped the bit of the dress he had around his arms and prepared himself, the music building in the background.

 

With a kick of his feet, Eros held his arms at chest height, bending them in towards his body as he raised up onto the ball of one foot, the other lifted and held next to his knee as he began to spin. The speed caught victor off guard and he caught himself circling both arms to try and prevent the material from becoming lax. He counted the spins as they happened, more and more of Eros’ body coming to light, the lines of the dress falling lower and lower…

 

Just as a pair of panties were revealed, on Victor’s last tug they also flew off from Eros, landing directly into Victor’s arms. Victor froze, for a moment, not sure if that had been an intended part of the performance. A glance up saw Eros stood in only a sparkly red g-string, arms in the air as he welcomed the applause with a grin. Glancing down at Victor he winked and then pointed at the scarf in his arms followed by the tree before sauntering off the stage.

 

Collapsing into his chair, Victor looked down at the panties, noticing the small knot that had been tied between the dress material and the ribbon ties of the panties. A giggle bubbled into his chest that soon turned into a full on laugh as he covered his face.

 

__That had been a surprise._ _

 

“Well, a stocking last week, panties this week… If I didn’t know better I’d say Eros has taken a liking to you…” Chris began fiddling with the knot, releasing the panties before trying to put them over Victor’s head.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Eros! With thanks to Giacometti’s friend for helping out there! Now if you would please add the tinsel to the tree, good Sir!” Arthur led the audience in a clap as Victor made his way back onto stage, tossing the panties at Chris as he started trying to wrap the material around the tree in an acceptable way.

 

“And now for the next decoration! Whatever will she add next… Please welcome, Bella Ti Amo! Here to tell you about her Christmas desires!”

 

Soon [Bella Ti Amo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3wAyg8WHIU) had added a surprising number of icicles to the tree after smuggling them on stage attached to her bra and panties below the snowman themed coat she wore, a fuzzy white jacket complete with black buttons and matching white underwear.

 

The icing on the cake was provided by [Hardy Goldenrod](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtQEVDy46dk) who after ridding himself of a reindeer outfit - though keeping the antlers and painted red nose - managed to also rid himself of his g-string that was fronted by a large fabric star. He covered his modesty with a hand before turning his back to the audience and raiding both hands in a finishing pose before the lights went down and he vanished from the stage.

 

Arthur reappeared again.

 

“Hardy Goldenrod, everyone! Giving us some honest-to-God actual nudity on this stage! And now we have a fully decorated tree! Now you know how to make decorating for Christmas fun! Now it’s time for a break, drink and be merry!”

 

The lights came up, chatter beginning among the patrons of the club as people began to move towards the bar.

 

“I’ll have the same again,” Chris said with a grin.

 

Victor took a deep breath and blew some hair away from his face. The club still felt far too warm and Chris’ eyes were on him.

 

“So which part was it this week, being bossed around or having panties thrown at you? Or did you just enjoy unwrapping your early Christmas present?”

 

Victor stared off into space for a moment, mind trying to come up with an answer. “…All of the above? …I did actually unwrap him didn’t I?”

 

Chris chuckled. “Will you ever doubt my recommendations again?”

 

“Not as long as I live.” Victor replied matter-of-factly. “Will he want these back?” Victor held up the panties.

 

“Well he was happy to let you keep the stocking so why not. If you don’t wanna keep them give them to me and I’ll throw them at Arthur later!”

 

“I feel like we shouldn’t throw Eros stuff around…”

 

“You’re right, you should take them home and keep them in your bedside drawer instead.”

 

“Chris!”

 

“I’m going to keep taunting you until you fetch me a drink!”

 

Victor grumbled and stood up as he made his way to the bar, trying to clear his mind.

 

 

 

 

“Well, Yuuri! He certainly enjoyed that! I’m glad to see my almost developing repetitive strain injury unwrapping you five million times paid off!”

 

Phichit sat in a chair by the dresser, grinning at Yuuri who held a bottle of water and had currently flattened himself against the cool wall, still only wearing his g-string, flush of his face not far from the colour of the underwear.

 

“I was so worried it wasn’t going to work, that I’d get carried away and unwrap one too many times at the start and end up being jerked out of my spins! I managed twelve spins though!” Yuuri waved his hand at his face trying to cool off.

 

“That was impressive! After one push off!” Phichit looked Yuuri up and down. “You know, if you had told me two months ago that you’d not only be a ridiculously amazing burlesque performer but also be chilling out with me in only a tiny sparkly g-string and an unlocked door without a care in the world I would have suggested a psyche evaluation! But here we are!”

 

“I’m too hot to care right now,” Yuuri took another sip.

 

“Victor certainly agreed!”

 

“...I almost literally threw my panties at him. Why did I do that?”

 

“Because you jokingly suggested it and I insisted it was a good idea! And Chris told us they were coming again so we could plan it that way. You did it because you fancy him!”

 

Yuuri groaned.

 

“I think he enjoyed unwrapping you, anyway! After he got over the shock…”

 

“I should hope so! We practised that for hours!”

 

“Tell me about it! I had to keep winding that material off you when you spun and then put it on again!”

 

“I had to keep spinning! I got carpet burn on my foot!”

 

“Well we got it but you insisted on doing it another million times!”

 

“Well I had to make sure it wasn’t a fluke!”

 

Phichit hmph’d in response before a glint appeared in his eye, unnerving Yuuri. That look never meant anything good.

 

“How’s about a little dare?”

 

“No.”

 

“Yuuri….” Phichit whined. “I dare you!”

 

“I told you no!”

 

“I dare you to fetch Victor backstage and talk to him! If you don’t, you have to perform to the song of my choice! And sing it!”

 

Yuuri was silent. “What’s in it for me?”

 

“What do you want?”

 

Yuuri thought for a moment. Revenge on this whole job, he could get Phichit to strip on stage, but that would be mean…

 

As he looked around he saw the corset from his performance hanging over his chair where it had been tossed by the clean up guy.

 

“If I win you hand-wash all my corsets, stockings, g-strings and anything else that can’t be washed normally.”

 

“Even the g-strings?”

 

“Even those.”

 

Phichit thought long and hard for a full moment.

 

“Deal! By the end of the final set, you will have invited him back here to chat. Remember, this is not a brothel! No funny business!”

 

“Deal and that wouldn’t be happening even if there wasn’t a rule!”

 

“You keep telling yourself that, Yuuri…”

 

Yuuri kept fanning himself in an attempt to cool off, beginning to wonder how he would even begin to talk to Victor without revealing himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to keep everyone waiting! Summer (and university work and cosplay creation) are all kicking in and destroying my free time! I managed to get university work done but some busy weekends are coming up so not sure when the next chapter will be (which is a PITA because IT IS THE DANCE I HAVE WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT SINCE I STARTED THIS FIC)
> 
> I know the others are barely getting a look in right now, but I still keep linking the music because it entertains me and I hope it entertains you!
> 
> Guess who wins the bet!
> 
> As always, feedback makes me happy and I hope you enjoyed!


	8. B is for... blue balls!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor.exe has encountered an error.
> 
> Local fools finally talk.
> 
> Phichit and Chris are Shook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Summer has been really busy and I've had no time to sit and work on it, and I wanted to do it justice.
> 
> As a note for Yuuri's performance - please pretend the song is being sung by a man. The song is perfect but it's only covered in this manner by a woman.
> 
> The POV swaps and changes a few times - Victor's POV (and Chris') are in itallics to make it easier.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“Can’t wait to see what you have planned for me, Yuuri!” Phichit declared as he burst through the door. “Club is completely full now, Takeshi tells me there’s a queue outside! My advertising skills are second to none!”

 

“I’d hope you were looking forward to it after all the extra effort I had to put into this!” Yuuri said, fastening his jacket and giving himself a once over in the mirror, tilting his top hat slightly to the side. “And you knew this was going to happen once you started making social media posts.”

 

“Well you shouldn’t take me up on a dare and then not follow through,” Phichit’s eyebrows rose as he looked at Yuuri, as though Yuuri had not in-fact said ‘no’ to the dare several times and had actually encouraged it. “You had your chance to bring him backstage and not have to do this, you know!”

 

Yuuri opened his mouth to point his multiple answers of ‘no’ out, wriggling as he adjusted his hot pants when Sara stuck her head around the door.

 

“Are you ready, Yuuri? We need to do a warm up now - Phichit, out!”

 

“A warm up? What are you planning, Yuuri? Tell me-!” Phichit cried as Sara shooed him out.

 

“A surprise!” Yuuri shouted as the door closed.

 

“Okay, let’s get you ready!” Sara clapped her hands together and began rubbing them in glee. “I’m so excited to see my tutelage pay off!”

 

“As if I’m ever going to be ready!” Yuuri said, dropping his forehead onto the dressing table. “Why am I making my life more difficult than it has to be? Why did I decide this was a good idea?”

 

“Because it’s more fun that way,” Sara replied with a smile. “Anyway, you should be showing off all these talents of yours! I bet Victor will love it…”

 

“Who said anything about Victor?” Yuuri’s head popped up again, a blush across his cheeks.

 

“You’re the one who keeps throwing your underwear at him, don’t act like it’s a secret that you’ve got a crush,” Sara replied. “Phichit said you met him before you started working here, is that true?”

 

“Yeah, he came into the shop where I used to work and I don’t have a crush-!”

 

“Yuuri’s got a cruuuush,” Sara began singing, laughter stopping her as Yuuri became increasingly flustered in his attempts to shush her.

 

“If it makes you feel any better, Victor clearly has a huge raging crush on you too. Half the fun we have during your performances now is watching his reactions.” Her eyes widened for a moment. “Does he know it’s you? Is that why he keeps coming to see you?”

 

Yuuri groaned in response and shook his head before depositing it firmly back on the dresser.

 

Sara gawped at Yuuri for a moment. “This is something out of a TV show - you have a double identity! You should tell him, it’d blow his mind!”

 

“I can’t do that…” Yuuri trailed off. “Eros is a fantasy and that’s what people - including him - come here for. Realising that by day Eros is shop-gremlin Yuuri would be a bit of a let down I think.”

 

“Shop gremlin Yuuri is adorable though! Could maybe do with brushing his hair every now and then but…” Sara grinned then placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Don’t put yourself down. I’m sure it wouldn’t bother him a bit as long as you flung a stocking at him every now and then.” Yuuri gave her a look. “Fine, fine, your choice! Now, let’s get your warmed up!”

 

 

 

Soon after, Yuuri took a deep breath as Phichit introduced him, deja vu of his first night washing over him - a whole new performance was about to begin. He focused on his breathing when Phichit strolled off the stage, giving him a thumbs up as the lights outside went down. Sara gave him a pat on the shoulder and a gentle nudge towards the stage.

 

[The music began](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyMCb6Acgn8), a quiet bass guitar followed by piano as he stepped onto the stage, feeling the weight of the audience’s stares on him, the air feeling heavier than normal with all the extra patrons. At the other side of the stage, in the usual place he could see familiar silver hair back lit by the light from the bar, the usual tinge of excitement and anxiety turning his stomach momentarily at Victor’s presence; this show was designed with him in mind after all. Yuuri came to a stop in front of the microphone as the stage lights came on, the outlines of the audience temporarily disappearing into the darkness beyond the stage as his eyes adjusted.  

 

“Your butt is mine, gonna take you right…” A few chuckles and cheers from the audience as they recognised the song. He focused on the singing, running his hands up and down the stand as suggested by Mila - when in doubt stroke the closest phallic object - shifting his weight from foot to foot and causing his hips to sway to the music.

 

“I’m giving you on count of three…” He pulled the microphone from the stand and began walking across the stage, making sure to turn enough that the tails of his coat moved enough to make his hot pants visible - they weren’t the usual pair he had but after Phichit dared him to wear them as a joke they had turned out to be pretty popular.

 

 

 

 

__Victor’s eyes traced every step Eros took across the stage, pale flashes of skin taunting him from beneath the tail of the jacket he wore. It had taken him a moment to realise what he was seeing, the glimpses so brief they were gone before he could look. A particularly sharp turn flared the tail of the jacket out, revealing the missing cheeks of the hot pants, the black material framing and digging into the soft skin below in a way that Victor could almost imagine how it would feel under his fingers…_ _

__

__“Because I’m bad…” Victor forced himself to close his mouth and focused back on the performance, trying to will the early sensation of arousal building within. Of all the things Eros had done, slightly squished ass-cheeks was his thing apparently._ _

__

__The sound of Eros’ voice flooded the room, breathy and seductive, subduing even the noisiest patrons into awed silence. More images of Eros made their way into his mind, that voice sighing his name in that tone…_ _

__

__He shook his head and took a sip of his drink, pointedly ignoring Chris and the smirk that he couldn’t see on his friend’s face but he knew was there and being directed at him. The smug amusement almost radiated off his friend._ _

__

__Eros carelessly tossed a second glove behind him, hands then tracing up and down the line of his hips and waist, the hem of the jacket lifting briefly, affording the audience a small glimpse of skin before the material settled again._ _

__

__Eros was determined to test his self-control this evening._ _

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the chorus finished, Yuuri unclipped the microphone again and stepped away from the stand, walking his fingers from his stomach, over his groin and down to the first of the suspender clips, the clasp unhooking easily. Turning, he continued singing and repeated the process along the back of his leg, unhooking the back clasp as well. He reached back to the other leg, unhooking the clasp and then turning back to the audience as the music began to wind up.

 

He reached for the final clasp…

 

He gave it another flick, slightly firmer this time to no avail. Stuck.

 

He concentrated on the words for a moment, trying to think of a solution before remembering one of Mila’s many tips for difficult clothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

__Eros’ eyes scanned the crowd as he sang, eyes meeting Victor’s before a grin broke out on his face, a mischievous look appearing in his eye causing Victor’s heartbeat to speed up and start edging towards his throat. Eros strolled across the stage, not breaking the gaze as he continued to sing and kicking his shoes off with a flick of his foot as he reached the edge. Victor half-expected to be called up to the stage when Eros took to the small set of steps at the side and then made his way across the floor to their table. Victor’s heart pounded as Eros came to a stop in front of him, feeling his face begin to grow warm under that gaze, the thoughts from earlier beginning to form again._ _

__

__Eros lifted his foot and nudged Victor’s legs open before perching his toes on the chair between his legs. The heat in his face intensified as his mind tried to catch up with what was happening, every inch of his body hyper aware of exactly where and how close Eros’ foot was sat. Trying to avoid an embarrassing situation, Victor looked up at Eros’ face instead, realising instantly that he had no hope; this close he was able to stare at Eros’ mouth as he sang, the red lipstick accentuating the fullness of his lips. His voice now uttering the lyrics, unfiltered by the microphone. Victor realised he’d never heard Eros' voice before, something that seemed strange considering how long he had been coming to this venue to watch him._ _

__

__He wanted to hear it a whole lot more._ _

__

__Eros picked Victor’s hand up, gently placing it on his thigh, the skin soft and so distractingly warm below his fingers, before letting go and tapping on the one remaining suspender clasp. Trying desperately to ignore how close Eros was - an embarrassing situation was becoming increasingly likely - Victor began fiddling with the clasp, fingers not listening to his commands as he fumbled with it. He felt a hand slide over his shoulder and around his neck, the fingers gently stroking the short hair at the back of his neck, the skin tingling and sending a small shiver down his spine._ _

__

__How was he supposed to unfasten this clip like this?_ _

__

__As the music began building towards the chorus, Victor’s fumbling intensified, his fingers having all the responsiveness of a rock. Eros’ hand tightened in his hair, pulling the strands lightly as he launched into the chorus again, the sensation sending a jolt directly to Victor’s groin. He took a deep breath as the clasp finally released as Eros launched into the chorus of the song._ _

__

__He was sure Eros would move on, however as he sang he seemed to have no intention of moving. Instead, he released Victor’s hair and slid his fingers below the hem of the stocking he had just unclasped and began edging it down his leg, hand darting back and forth as it eased the sheer material further and further down. Victor watched, unable to take his eyes away from the hand as it edged closer and closer to the foot between his legs, desperately willing his body to not respond any further than it already had._ _

__

__Eros stopped short, straightened up, placing his hand on Victor’s shoulder and straightening his leg to the side, pointing the stocking covered foot at Chris, who pulled the material off with a tug, grinning at Victor as he did._ _

__

__

__

__

__

 

“Really, really bad…” With a ruffle of Victor’s hair, Eros strutted across the floor to another table where Isabella and her friends sat. With a gesture at his stocking, the women were happy to help him remove it - they came for JJ but were always up for participation in the other acts.

 

Taking the stairs back onto the stage, Eros placed the microphone into the stand and began unbuttoning the jacket, popping it open easily before letting it slide off his shoulders and tossing it to the back of the stage, ditching the usual teasing as the song began working to the end. Reaching for the hem of his hot pants, he paused, clearly waiting for the cheers to pick up before slowly easing them down before abruptly pulling them up. Picking the stand up he turned his back to the audience, giving them a clear view of his butt as he began to ease the pants down, rocking his hips with each motion using each break between words to push them down further until they slid to his feet.

 

Freeing one foot, he spun with the microphone stand to face the audience on the final word. As the music cut out he kicked the foot still in the hot pants out, the small item of clothing flying easily through the air and caught by Chris as it almost fell short of his table.

 

Arms in the air, he held a pose for a moment, soaking in the applause before darting off stage.

 

 

 

 

 

__Chris silently turned to Victor, grinning._ _

__

__“And to think you didn’t want to come here when I first mentioned it.”_ _

__

__Victor concentrated on taking deep breaths before he felt safe enough to escape the the bathroom and cool off. He shook his head slightly, not able to form any words._ _

__

__“Need a cold shower? Some time alone? Do you need rebooting? Has Victor.exe encountered an error?” Chris was pretty sure Yuuri had finally broken his friend - maybe this would help him get over shop boy who now appeared to be absent from the shop where Victor usually met him. The moping had intensified massively after that._ _

__

__Arthur reappeared on the stage as Chris gave up questioning him, clapping Victor on the shoulder as he moved to get a drink once the break was announced._ _

__

__Yuuri was proving to be a good distraction._ _

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Honestly, Yuuri, if you keep doing this we’re gonna have to make the warning sign about heart conditions bigger. I didn’t expect that!” Phichit caught up with Yuuri as they walked to their room, a mixture of excitement and awe on his face. “I didn’t realise Sara was helping you with your singing!”

 

He nodded at the last comment, Phichit had been questioning him relentlessly for weeks over why he needed to practice in secret with Sara. “The clasp got stuck! I tried twice to get it and it wouldn’t come undone, so I did what Mila said and got an audience member to do it.” His getting Victor to do it hadn’t been planned until it happened.

 

“You hid it well, no one could have known it was stuck! And Victor looked like he was gonna explode when you did that! Chris looked in equal parts awe and hysterical, and you know how hard it is to impress him in seduction!”

 

“At least it didn’t look like I was screwing up. I hope Victor didn’t think that was too much…” Yuuri was relieved, if his act hadn’t been completely convincing, Phichit would have known he was panicking.

 

“Depends if he was able to calm down the raging boner I’m pretty sure he was developing.” Phichit paused and gave Yuuri a look. “You looked like you were enjoying it too. Oh, oh! This is like…burlesque sex! Like that Bring it On movie where they have cheer sex!”

 

“That was not sex, Phichit! Burlesque or otherwise!” Yuuri felt his face growing warm. Burlesque was meant to be sexy, performing a routine around an audience member was not ‘burlesque sex’.

 

“It wasn’t far off! Anyway, invite him backstage and find out what he thought!” Phichit cut Yuuri off as he opened his mouth to argue. “Or the next song will be Tubthumping!”

 

“Why are you the way you are?” Phichit was not going to stop until he got his way.

 

“Well I didn’t think you’d be able to make Bad sexy and here we are, I’m bringing out the big guns now. Talk to the man before you break him! I think he ascended to another plane of existence out there. Seriously, look at this,” Phichit pulled his phone out, quickly opening a sneaky picture taken as Yuuri stood with his foot between Victor’s legs. “I’ve never seen a man so turned on!”

 

“That just means you need to up your skills!” Mila declared as she followed them into their changing room, quickly followed by Sara and JJ.

 

“I choose to ignore that harsh comment!” Phichit replied before turning back to Yuuri. “You could have asked him to give you his wallet and he would have handed that, his car keys and all important bank account details over without a second thought!”

 

“Phichit, you’re exaggerating.”

 

“Let’s ask everyone else what they think!” Phichit was definitely not letting this go.

 

Yuuri groaned.

 

“Fine! Fetch him back once we’ve finished!”

 

Phichit and the other dancers cheered.

 

Yuuri was sure he was going to regret this, but a traitorous part of his mind kept thinking back to the feeling of Victor’s hands on his thigh and how soft his hair had felt when he tugged on it.

 

He wanted more.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuuri took a deep breath as he heard footsteps approaching, pulling the Eros persona around him like a blanket. The usual blushing and stuttering would be a dead give away, and at no point did Eros blush or stutter - that was the reaction of others. He thought back to Phichit’s new dare; there was no possible way to make Tubthumping a sensuous dance and he had no intention of trying.

 

He had also missed his little meetings with Victor at the store. It had been a silly thing to look forward to, but those little bursts of simple happiness from Victor - most of the time - had always brightened his day, even when his anxiety kicked in, reducing him to a stuttering mess and causing him to hide in the back. Victor had waltzed into his work life and made himself a permanent fixture full of questions and heart shaped smiles - Yuuri had missed that ridiculous smile.

 

A quiet knock at the door.

 

Yuuri pulled his gown around himself, tying the sash firmly. His stage clothing - and day clothing - sat in a messy pile that had been swiftly hidden away behind the screen. A quick glance in the mirror told him his make up was still in place.

 

“Come in…” Yuuri silently thanked Sara for all the vocal training she had given him over these past few weeks; it had helped his singing but also allowed him to perfect a slow, sensuous tone to his voice that sounded nothing like his usual self. Certainly it would be unrecognisable to anyone who didn’t know him well.

 

The door opened and Chris appeared, his usual innocuous but sly smile on his face, followed by Victor who briefly glanced around the room before finally locking eyes with Yuuri. Yuuri held his gaze for a moment - Victor had no business having eyes that blue - before breaking the stare, noting the way Victor’s hands were holding onto his hot pants for dear life, knuckles white with tension.

 

Victor was nervous? To see him?

 

“Evening, Eros. Quite a show you put on for us tonight, you’re never short on surprises,” Chris drawled. “My friend Victor here has something to return to you and I’m going to speak to Arthur while you two get better acquainted…” Chris winked at Yuuri as he left, giving Victor a pat on the shoulder before closing the door behind him.

 

“Hello, Victor. Did you enjoy the show?” Yuuri sat back in the chair, feeling the movement of the gown as the fabric slid along his shoulder slightly, baring some skin. Unintended but something Yuuri could work with. The more distracted Victor was, the less likely it was he would recognise Yuuri.

 

Victor swallowed, a slight pink tint appearing on the tip of his nose. “Yes, I didn’t realise you could sing as well. You have a beautiful voice.”

 

Yuuri smiled, feeling warm inside. “Thank you. I’m glad someone was paying attention to my singing. It’s not usually the focus of my performances after all…”

 

“It’d be hard not to pay attention to a voice like yours. Even with the dancing…”

 

“And the outfits?” Yuuri raised an eyebrow and nodded at the clothing in question still held in Victor’s hands.

 

“Ah! Yes…” Victor started and relaxed his hold on the hot pants, gently folding them and handing them reverently to Yuuri.

 

“Thank you, I can replace stockings easy enough but these were a little harder to come by,” Yuuri stood and sauntered across the room to place the hot pants in a pile behind the screen, aware of Victor’s eyes following him.

 

“Have a seat,” Yuuri gestured to the chair opposite his as he sat down.

 

Victor sat, back upright, hands seated in his lap, twiddling his fingers for a moment. Yuuri resisted the urge to try and make small talk to cover the silence, allowing Victor to find something to fill the space. Aloof silence was easier to play off than nervous chatter.

 

A light seemed to come on behind Victor’s eyes as he spoke. “Chris mentioned you have some ballet training, it looks a little more than ‘some’ judging by some of your abilities. Where did you train?”

 

“In Japan. I had a lot of private tuition from a local instructor before I moved here.” Yuuri leant back in his chair once again, crossing his legs and not missing the way Victor’s eyes flickered downwards momentarily to watch before looking back up. “You know a lot about ballet, do you dance yourself?”

 

“I used to, got quite good as well but an injury in my foot and ankle put paid to that.” Victor lifted his right foot as emphasis. “Years of physiotherapy and gentle practice led nowhere before it was a definite career finisher.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He remembered this detail but it still made him a little sad, he could imagine how Victor would have looked on stage. He seemed suited to it, even now. He probably would be famous by now if he had been dancing - Yuuri was sure of that.

 

“Yeah, at least I don’t notice it day-to-day and I can still dance casually. The most embarrassing part is it didn’t even happen while I was dancing. I was trying to cook and answer the phone at the same time and fell over my dog!”

 

A laugh escaped Yuuri’s mouth before he covered it with his hand, mortified at laughing at the cause of such a serious injury but also entertained at the actual answer. Victor’s cracked a smile, laughing a little.

 

“Don’t worry, it is a ridiculous tale - the person on the other end of the phone got a shock! I still have the dog though, her name is Makkachin! She’s an old lady now so she comes to work with me and lives in my office while I’m there. Not that she behaves like it! Do you want to see a picture of her?”

 

Yuuri nodded, still trying to keep from grinning at the story and settling for a small smile instead, watching as Victor gradually became more animated as some of the tension left him.

 

“Hold on…” Victor pulled his phone from his pocket and began swiping his way through, quickly presenting Yuuri with his phone. Yuuri took it from him; a golden brown poodle stared at the camera, head tilted to one side, a stuffed rabbit between her front paws.

 

“She’s very cute.”

 

“She is, very naughty when she wants to be, even now. She is a food thief and hogs the blankets.” There was that heart-shaped smile.

 

Yuuri laughed again, feeling warm inside at the sight of that grin. It had probably only been two months or so since he had last seen it but it felt like forever. “So what do you do now?” He knew but it seemed like a reasonable follow up question.

 

“I design outfits for ballet. Schools, performances, tours…” Victor shrugged. “It’s me, some co-workers and an apprentice.”

 

“Do you enjoy it?”

 

“Yes,” Victor nodded but a shadow passed over his eyes for a moment, lingering barely long enough for Yuuri to see it before it vanished again. “It keeps me in touch with ballet and I still get to be creative, but,” Victor moved his hands in circles, clearly trying to think of something to say, “it’s rarely challenging anymore, to tell the truth. I could do with something a bit different than the usual costumes I make now.” He gave a small shrug.

 

“Have you considered burlesque costume design,” Yuuri suggested with a chuckle.

 

Victor grinned and gave a little laugh. “I think I’d be hard pressed to beat some of the creativity I have seen here so far. But I’ll think about it. Anything I should bear in mind?”

 

“It should be easy to take off…” Yuuri began listing points on his fingers. “It needs to cling in all the right places, of course you would need to ask each dancer what their ‘right places’ were…”

 

“What are yours?” Victor asked, the pink blush on his nose darkening slightly.

 

Yuuri ran through the parts of his body he was never completely sure about - he was in good shape at the moment due to continuously dancing; quitting shop work allowed him more time to focus on ballet during the day but there were always bits he could change if asked…

 

He gave himself a mental shake. Eros didn’t have confidence issues.

 

“Everywhere.”

 

Victor’s eyebrows raised, smile on his face widening. “That’s not the answer I was expecting.”

 

“What were you expecting me to say?” Yuuri asked - Victor apparently thought he had right places, though it was possible he thought Yuuri had __wrong__  places.

 

Victor opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing and shaking his head with a small laugh, blue eyes twinkling as they met Yuuri’s. “You’re actually right. Everywhere is the right place for you.”

 

Yuuri smiled, feeling his face heat up slightly. “Well that should make designing my costume a little easier for you.”

 

Victor nodded. “I just need to make something that clings to every part of you. I’m sure I can do that.”

 

Yuuri nodded and rested his chin on his hand, looking up at Victor from below his lashes. “I can’t wait to see it.”

 

Victor gulped. “I’ll bring it when it’s finished. I hope I get to see you in it before anyone else does, though…”

 

Yuuri panicked internally for a moment, he had thought they were joking, was Victor actually going to make him an outfit…? Wait, did he just ask for a private show of the outfit?

 

“You own a lot of lipstick…” Victor’s voice broke him out of his thoughts as he peered over the make-up collection, apparently taking Yuuri’s silence as a conversation ender. Yuuri gave himself another mental shake, time to take control of this conversation again.

 

“Well I’m a fan of the reds, I think they suit me don’t you think?” Yuuri peered at Victor from below his lashes, purposely pouting his lips slightly and delighting in the slightly dazed look on Victor’s face - bless Sara for that piece of advice. “My absolute favourite is this one; Russian Red, no matter what I do with my mouth it never rubs off…”

 

Yuuri dragged a finger across his lower lip to emphasise his point, holding eye contact with Victor as he did, watching an undeniable flush of colour cross the other man’s face, beginning in his cheeks before fanning out to his ears, the colour standing out almost comically against the silver of his hair, the shade not particularly far from the colour of said lipstick.

 

Before Victor could begin to formulate a reply, a knock at the door gave them a moments warning before Chris entered the room again.

 

“Hello, boys. I’m here to collect Victor if that’s okay with you Eros? I thought you might want to go home at some point, though you are free to take Victor if you so wish…” Chris grinned at Yuuri for a moment, picking up the subtle look Yuuri flashed him at his last comment. “Come on Victor, taxi’s waiting.”

 

As Victor stood up, he took a step closer to Yuuri and took his hand, placing a small kiss on the back of it. “See you next week, Eros.”

 

“See you next week, Mr. Russian Red.” Victor smiled, the blush deepening slightly as he turned and followed Chris out. As Victor walked ahead, Chris turned to Yuuri and gave him a scandalised look, covering his mouth for a moment as he left.

 

Yuuri didn’t register the expression for a moment as the warmth of Victor’s hand lingered on his, the pressure of his lips still registering on his skin.

 

Phichit appeared moments later.

 

“Yuuri, don’t think I didn’t just hear that comment about the Russian Red lipstick!” Phichit looked equal parts elated and scandalised.

 

“How did you hear that?” Yuuri felt his face flushing - he probably matched Victor now.

 

“Me and Chris were wanting to come in, but we didn’t want to interrupt anything so we listened in for a moment and heard __that__. Honestly, Yuuri, teach me your flirting ways because damn!”

 

Yuuri groaned. He was never going to hear the end of this.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucky for Victor he has a healthy heart!
> 
> If you enjoyed, feedback gives me life! I hope to start working on the next chapter this weekend so it won't be as long until the next one as it has been this time! If anyone wants to yell at me about this or YOI as a whole I am on tumblr as sothisiswhyiamhere!
> 
> I changed the RussianRed scene from the (amazing) original by Runesque because they did mention that they didn't want a direct copy and I felt a bit off doing it myself so I changed the dialogue - still just as filthy to be fair. Poor Victor gets it in every AU.


	9. B is for...Badly Timed Boners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is determined to kill Victor. 
> 
> Victor likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is!
> 
> Things are slowly starting to move!

“That settles it, he’s definitely gone, Chris!” Victor burst through the door, a gust of warm spring air following him.

 

“I thought he had definitely gone last week?” Chris looked down at the coffee he had just made, sighed internally and placed it on the coffee table in front of an empty seat.

 

“This week I actually asked someone. She looked at me like I was a weirdo and then told me he left in January! It’s the end of April now! He left like three months ago, why did I wait…” Victor dug the heel of his hands into his eyes as he flopped into the chair.

 

“Ouch. Maybe it’s a sign that you need to move on now and let it go. If it is meant to be he will find a way back to you, if not, there’s many other people out there that would fit you just fine.” Chris reboiled the kettle to make himself a coffee while Victor spoke.

 

“The only other person I like is Eros.” Victor pouted into his mug.

 

“Eros is highly desirable, I give you that, but remember Victor, you’re seeing a stage persona, not the real person. He’s fantastic for distracting you, for giving you something else to focus on, for redirecting your passion, creativity and frustrations but you can’t like Eros as you can someone else because you don’t really know him.” Chris sat himself on the couch, nursing his fresh cup of coffee.

 

“What is he really like then, Chris?”

 

“He’s not Eros. He’s a perfectly kind and charming man, and don’t get me wrong, I would quite happily hop in the sack with him but he isn’t Eros and he’s also very strict about keeping his private life far away from Eros. So projecting some sexual fantasies onto him and having a good time with him is fine, but just remember he is not the person you see on stage. That’s all I will say of him off stage - anything else you want to find out you can just ask him yourself.” Chris took a sip of his coffee. Victor’s love life was a source of great amusement but also great exhaustion, that idealistic, emotion led part of his personality made him a wonderful friend and boyfriend but also meant he chased relationships that would never amount to anything.

 

“You said he took a shine to me.” The pout had not moved.

 

“Oh he has, but then why wouldn’t he? You’re handsome, charming and were clearly smitten by him from the moment he walked on stage. I’ve no doubt he thinks you’re attractive, enough so that he let you backstage. Just… be careful of doing your usual thing of charging heart first into something with someone you have connected with.”

 

“If there’s a connection and we both like each other, then I don’t see why I don’t have a chance to get to know Eros.”

 

Chris sighed.

 

“My usual disclaimer applies, I will support you but I reserve the right to say I told you so.”

 

“Fine. I’ll just have to hope Eros invites me backstage again and I will find out information by myself!”

 

“You do that,” Chris sighed and took a sip of his drink. Victor didn’t do anything half-heartedly, he would give him that.

 

 

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you’re all well rested and your thirst is quenched! We’ve got a scorching set lined up for you right now!” Arthur appeared on stage, his usual dark suit jacket replaced with a red one with gold embroidery. “Even I dressed up for this!”

 

Victor held his drink, condensation and the ice of the drink cooling his fingertips. Yuri sat to his left now, clearly unimpressed with the set-up so far. The blond had been insistent on coming to this club that he knew Victor had been visiting on a weekly basis for the past few months, apparently determined to be one of the grown-ups.

 

Or he was hiding the fact that he wanted to see almost naked dancers really well below his scowling façade. Victor figured that at eighteen he was old enough to come along for a night. The pictures in the newspaper that he had seen had probably been the deciding factor.

 

A movement on stage behind Arthur caught his eye, several cheers from the audience as the dancers snuck onto the stage, converging on Arthur a moment later, a strangled cry escaping into the microphone as each dancer placed a firm kiss onto his face leaving red lip prints behind. Eros reached around and pinned a birthday badge to Arthur, laughing at the weak protests he made.

 

“Haaaaaappy birthday to you…” Bella began singing, the rest of the dancers joining in a moment later and urging the audience to sing along. Hardy was handed a cake with several candles on by one of the band crew and he held it in front of Arthur with a grin.

 

He saw Eros mouth the words ‘make a wish’, Arthur beaming at him in response and then blowing out the candles in a single breath to the applause of the audience and dancers.

 

As the song finished, Ruby Rum pulled out a selfie stick and took a picture of Arthur and his lipstick covered face with the dancers smiling around him. He watched as Eros’ hand slid round Arthur's waist, giving it a squeeze before whispering something in his ear that caused Arthur to laugh and then pulling away as the dancers left the stage again, waving at the audience as they vanished.

 

“I have the best job in the world this evening!” Arthur grinned, pushing a few stray hairs away from his face that had been ruffled by the dancers. “Now, as I was saying before I was so kindly interrupted, we’ve got a scorcher of a show lined up for you, but I also have a little PSA. If anyone here was interested in giving burlesque a try, we were thinking of hiring a new performer or two. For anyone interested, there are flyers on the bar for auditions, men, women and everyone between or otherwise are all encouraged! Beginners or pros, we will accept all as long as you have a spark we like!” He paused for a breath.

 

“And that’s not all! We also have beginners burlesque classes starting next month! So those who wanted to give it a try without actually taking your clothes off in front of an audience can have a shot, there will be dancing tips, costuming and make up. Our pole dancing classes are running regularly by the wonderful Chris Giacometti who is sat down here. Chris, stand up and let the nice people see you!”

 

Chris stood up, gave a dutiful wave at the audience before turning back to Arthur. “’Wonderful’, are you drunk already?”

 

“I was trying to be nice to you for a change,” Arthur replied in mock offence.

 

“Just be yourself Arthur, it’s weird when you do otherwise! We like our Disney prince looking MC with his strict rules and punishments!”

 

Victor was glad it wasn’t just him who thought Arthur looked a little like a Disney prince.

 

“I am not talking to you about punishments, Giacometti! We’ve had that conversation! I learned things I can never unlearn!” Arthur crossed his arms in the air to end the conversation.

 

Chris laughed as he sat down. Victor was sure he could guess the contents of that conversation, had had it himself at some point after a few glasses of wine and a few misplaced shots.

 

“Now, moving on swiftly, I think I’ve given them long enough to organise themselves, so without further ado let us begin the act! Global warming is real, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise and we have the reason right here! Please give it up for Eros!”

 

Eros stepped onto the stage to the sound of applause, Victor enthusiastically taking part, ignoring the half-hearted clapping of Yuri who seemed to be wishing he hadn’t insisted on coming now. Eros was sporting what appeared to be a skin-tight bodysuit designed to look like an actual suit - sparkling black trousers and jacket hugged his body, a white shirt with black buttons and a white bow tie finishing it off, and top hat perched at a slight angle on his head. He held a microphone in his hands, showing off the two-tone sleeves - the underside a glittery neutral tone - and pausing for a moment to survey the audience before he spoke.

 

“Well time for something a little different this evening…” More cheering and whooping in response, increasing as a stage hand brought a chair on the stage, setting it in front of Eros before darting away again.

 

“I’m going to need someone to come up here and help me for this song…” Several hands rose, some fast and confident, others more hesitant. Chris put his hand up and Victor felt his own hand dragged up a moment later.

 

“Now Chris, I need someone with a little bit of shame, or else there’s no fun for me,” Eros addressed Chris, who laughed and instead began pointing at Victor.

 

“Take him instead, he’s still got some shame left!” Victor glanced between Chris and Eros, wide-eyed and heart thumping in his chest. He was content to gawk from the reasonable privacy of his seat but on stage was another matter and if it was anything like the previous week…

 

“What do you think, should we finally get Victor on stage? He’s been so helpful before…” Eros waited for applause and gave a nod. Making eye contact, he raised his hand and gestured for Victor to join him on stage.

 

Victor was fairly sure he had never been this terrified in his entire adult life.

 

After a not so gentle shove from Chris, he made his way onto stage, stomach churning slightly as Eros gestured for him to sit in the chair in front of him. A small traitorous part of his mind blocked out the fear as soon as Eros smiled at him, no hint as to what was about to happen.

 

“Everyone, say hello to Victor.” Eros waited for the applause. “Your new blond friend over there almost smiled just now. You just wanted to see your friend embarrassed, did you?” Eros spoke, amusement tinting his voice.

 

Victor felt a small degree of smugness when Yuri’s face fell back into a small scowl as he was addressed, the expression not hiding the flush of pink that appeared on his cheeks.

 

Nice to know Eros had that effect on other people too - spending time with Chris was beginning to make him think that he had been reacting more strongly than other people. Chris was just used to Eros it seemed.

 

How did anyone get used to Eros?

 

He was jolted back from his thoughts as Eros slipped a hand over his shoulder. A glance up saw Eros nod at the band, [music beginning to play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPPsze3ROjA). He felt an elbow rest on his shoulder and became acutely aware of Eros' chin almost resting on his head as Victor’s head was pulled against him.

 

“The man is tall, bad, mean and good-looking…” Eros’ voice echoed through the club from the microphone, but Victor could hear his voice before it was amplified, seductive tone breathing life into the lyrics and despite his mild terror, into his body as well.

 

Unable to look up, Victor wasn’t sure where to look, Chris was watching smugly, phone in hand ready to take photos - if he hadn’t already started - while Yuri looked on, still scowling, but the look had softened in favour of amusement at Victor’s torment.

 

The hand that rested across him moved, wrapping around his tie and gently sliding along the length of it before dramatically letting go and returning the hand to his chest. The hand moved again as Eros stepped around, coming into his line of vision and singing to him, the audience cheering and whistling as he bent over slightly towards Victor, holding eye contact as that hand cupped the back of his neck again, fingers stroking the short hair.

 

“He’s my big, bad, handsome man…” Eros cupped his face as he sang to him, holding his gaze and tracing Victor’s jaw with a finger before trailing it down, tugging lightly on his collar before flattening his hand on his chest. With a step he was in front of Victor, nudging Victor’s legs open before stepping between them, the whistling and applause intensifying as he did. He pulled Victor close to his chest as he sang, and guiding his arms up to his waist as he swayed to the music. Victor was startled to feel warm skin beneath his fingers - apparently the suit was backless - could feel the muscles as they tensed and relaxed as Eros moved his hips.

 

Moving again, Eros turned slightly, sitting himself sideways across his lap and wrapping an arm around Victor’s shoulder, Victor automatically wrapping his arm around Eros’ waist to stabilise him. He began singing the chorus again, gazing into Victor’s eyes with a smirk on his face, the weight of his body pressing against him, heat of his skin burning through the sleeve of his jacket, fingers stroking his face as he sang.

 

Eros winked, then stood to face the audience-

 

__Oh._ _

 

The entire back of the suit was a thin, sheer, neutral material that did little to hide the lack of anything underneath, despite the numerous diamantes decorating the butt in the shape of a g-string. The back was open, fastening behind the neck and open across the back, material only just covering Eros’ butt….

 

Victor’s mind had stopped when he saw the outfit, and he was fairly certain his heart was about to follow suit as Eros leant back, knees bending so that he had almost sat back in Victor’s lap again, slowly swinging his hips back and forth, his rhinestone clad rear rubbing dangerously against Victor’s abdomen, a traitorous part of his mind wishing it was just a little lower before Eros arched his back, butt grinding up towards Victor’s chest and back down again before stepping away.

 

Victor took a deep breath, feeling the heat in his face intensifying under the stage lights, a quick glance at Yuri and Chris’ face suggested no sympathy whatsoever. In fact Yuri looked like he was filming, a wicked grin on his face…

 

A yank of his tie quickly drew his attention back to Eros who stood beside him again, leaning over to rest an arm on Victor, singing to him once again, face so very close, the colour of his eyes was a lot lighter now that he was closer, the eyeliner had always made them seem darker. This close they were lighter, a beautiful mahogany colour that was strangely familiar…

 

Eros straightened again, running a hand through Victor’s hair, fingers dancing over his scalp, the sensation making his toes curl in pleasure. A slight panic kicked in - sitting on stage with his legs open was not a good time to be feeling this. Eros seemed to take pity on him and drew away for a moment, leaving only a hand on his shoulder as he sang.

 

Victor took another deep breath, trying to steady himself, feeling a small squeeze of his shoulder from Eros, any possible embarrassment hid moments later as Eros sat back in his lap, the song coming to an end. As he finished the last word, Eros dropped back, allowing Victor to catch him, holding the pose for several moments before sitting back up and gesturing at Victor, drawing another round of applause form the audience.

 

He felt Eros’ lips on his cheek a moment later, no doubt leaving a red mark behind.

 

“I trust it’s safe for me to stand up now,” Eros whispered in his ear. Victor nodded, not trusting himself to form coherent words.

 

Eros brought the microphone back to his lips. “Well done, Victor! Another round of applause!”

 

Victor was led off the stage, Eros leading him by his hand and holding it as he descended the stage. With a quick turn, he faced his back to the audience again, eliciting a final chorus of cheers as he left the stage with a wave as Arthur reappeared.

 

“Another round of applause for Eros and Victor, the man with the most amazing self-control I have ever seen. You did better than many of us would have in that situation! And now, Ruby Rum is coming on with a demand for all of us to take it off!”

 

As Arthur left the stage, Chris leant over to whisper to Victor.

 

“I think even I would have struggled keeping my dick under control when he started the ass grinding.”

 

“Was it that obvious?”

 

“We couldn’t see your dick, but your toes made it pretty clear!” Yuri waved his phone at Victor momentarily before putting it down again.

 

Victor was sure he might die, either of cardiac arrest or embarrassment before the evening was out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Yuuri, I don’t remember you grinding your butt on my crotch when you were practising on me!” Phichit stuck his head in. “Are you actually trying to kill that poor man, just go on a date and then hop into bed with him already!”

 

“He kept looking away! Anyway, I felt like he might want a good look at the back of this outfit…”

 

“Yuuri!” Phichit fake gasped. “Yuuri! That sounded confident! You actually finally realise you have a backside worth admiring!”

 

Yuuri paused, then his eyes widened as he looked at Phichit. He hadn’t thought for a moment that Victor wouldn’t want to look at it, but then it was one of his more complimented features at the club…

 

Phichit gave a cheer. “This burlesque business has finally started doing what we hoped it would do!”

 

“I don’t think being proud of my ass is gonna get me into a ballet audition, Phichit,” Yuuri stated, surprising himself with how happy he actually felt about this - body confidence had always been an issue for him - but Phichit’s excitement was in danger of running away with him.

 

“No, but maybe you can ask Victor out for a change, or tell him that the ass he was struggling to contain his boner over earlier belongs to the shop boy he kept going to the store to see!”

 

“He wasn’t coming to the store to see me, Phichit.”

 

“Oh he so was, Yuuri!”

 

“Well even if he was, he seemed a lot less interested after we ran into him in the mall, so seeing me on a normal basis apparently killed any thoughts he __might__  have entertained at any point, so there’s no need to pursue it.” Yuuri put an end to the conversation, turning to the mirror and pushing his hair back into place.

 

Phichit rolled his eyes. “Right, I will be needed on stage in a moment, so I will leave to you stew in how wrong you are!”

 

Yuuri turned to the mirror to start preparing himself for the next act. He had surprised Phichit earlier by asking him to invite Victor back again after the show - dragging him up had been planned but he wanted to assure himself that he hadn’t pushed it too far.

 

And just maybe he wanted to talk to him again. Once Yuuri had been Eros, had removed himself from his usual nerves around Victor, he had become surprisingly easy to talk to; charming and easy going and strangely cute - something he had not picked up on before when he had been consumed with his own thoughts.

 

Just wanted to talk.

 

 

 

Victor stepped into the room, abandoned by Chris outside the door and invited in by Eros moments later. A small, red stained smile sat on Eros’ face as he gestured for Victor to sit down.

 

“Enjoy the show?” Eros tilted his head, focusing intently on Victor for a moment.

 

“Yes, though I was concerned for my heart for a few moments there,” Victor replied, “Among other things.”

 

Eros chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Especially as you kept looking away so rudely…”

 

Victor opened his mouth to object, but then remembered the times he had looked over at his friends. “Ah, my apologies. I shouldn’t have been paying attention to anyone else, you’re quite right.”

 

Eros nodded, accepting the apology, smile widening.

 

“As long as you know for future reference,” he stated matter-of-factly.

 

“If you plan on doing that to me again in the future, please pre-warn me, then I can prepare myself.”

 

Eros raised an eyebrow. “I won’t ask how you’d prepare for that.”

 

“I was thinking steel underwear, honestly, you have such a filthy mind, Eros,” Victor teased.

 

Eros snorted. “I’ll get you a cushion next time.”

 

“It will be much appreciated, I’ll feel much more relaxed with one of those.” Victor said, Eros didn’t seem like the kind of character who would snort - that was surely part of who he really was under there.

 

“I’m glad I inspire such strong feelings in my audience,” Eros replied.

 

“Even Chris said he would have struggled to control himself, Chris!”

 

“Really? High praise indeed!” Eros was smiling again.

 

“Though it was more the scalp touching than anything else for me…” Victor paused, he was verging into TMI territory. Eros probably didn’t want to know his exact turn-ons.

 

“You’re willingly telling me your weak spots, a brave move by the man I pick for audience participation every week.” Eros stared at him, both eyebrows raised now, smile turning into a small smirk as his eyes flashed dangerously.

 

_Oops._

 

“...I hadn’t thought of that.”

 

“I’ll be sure to remember,” Eros grinned.

 

Victor coughed and glanced around, eager to change the subject from his possible future humiliation.

 

“The fridge is new.” He gestured at the small cooler that sat to the side of the room, looking out of place in the vintage styled room.

 

“Well we do get really hot when performing so we decided to have one here to keep drinks and snacks in. Especially now that I’ve started singing, and Arthur is always talking of course.”

 

“So what kind of snacks do you like?” Victor dug again, trying to get pieces of information about Eros, to piece together the man behind the stage name.

 

“Mostly fresh fruit; have to watch my weight after all. Would you like some?”

 

Victor nodded - a sweet snack after an evening of drinking sounded particularly appealing, even more so being offered by Eros.

 

Eros strolled to the fridge, gown swaying with the movement, the thin black material tied firmly at the waist, emphasising his waist. Bare legs and chest suggested he wasn’t wearing anything but underwear below the gown - something Victor tried very hard to ignore. His ability to talk to Eros like a normal person seemed to up and vanish on a regular basis as Eros said or did well…anything.

 

Eros handed him a small carton of pineapple, settling opposite and peeling open the packet and removing the small plastic fork.

 

“It’s not the most elegant of things but it does the job,” Eros said, taking a bite of the pineapple.

 

“These are my favourite work snack, I buy them all the time,” Victor thought back to Yuuri for a moment, almost felt like he was cheating as he sat with Eros now, “they’re even from the same store!”

 

“It’s a big store and easy to get to,” Eros replied. “I like the pineapple too.”

 

“It’s supposed to be a great anti-inflammatory - good for dancers, especially if you do a lot of ballet away from here…” Victor left the suggestion open, hoping he could learn more about Eros’ day work.

 

“It’s also supposed to make you taste nice.” Eros countered, nonchalantly placing a chunk of pineapple in his mouth, lips pursing around the fruit.

 

Victor opened his mouth to reply, confused until Eros pulled the fork from his mouth with a small ‘pop’, eyes on Victor, small smile appearing on his face.

 

_Oh god._

 

He felt colour rushing to his face as he realised what had been said. He was sure at some point he was considered charming and ex-lovers had never complained about his seduction techniques, but being around Eros made him feel like a teenager trying to flirt all over again.

 

He coughed, shoving a piece of fruit in his mouth as he tried to think of a reply.

 

Two could play at this game. Or, could when he figured out how to respond.

 

“Strawberries are supposed to be good for that too - they make a good smoothie when they’re mixed together. One the night before and one the morning of is the best effect I’ve found.” Victor replied. Thank god for Chris and his knowledge of all things sexual.

 

Eros paused, the corner of his mouth lifting. “A considerate lover, good to know,” Eros paused and took another bite. “But don’t think I don’t know that you learned that from Chris.”

 

Victor’s mouth dropped open.

 

“How on earth did you know that?”

 

“You’re not the only one he likes to educate,” Eros was trying to contain a laugh now as he observed Victor’s face, creases appearing next to his eyes as he tried to control his amusement. “He gives us all the information we need and then some we never asked for. I knew about the pineapples but not about the strawberries!”

 

Victor started chuckling. “All our lovers from now on have Chris to thank, I guess.”

 

Eros nodded, a smile on his face.

 

“Unless of course you have one now…?” Victor took the chance.

 

Eros gave him a look, raising his eyebrows, seeing through Victor’s question. “No, no there is no-one now. Chris did mention a while ago that you’d recently been rejected - have you found someone new?”

 

Damnit, Chris.

 

“No, not yet. Still single.” Victor paused. “You’ve been a wonderful distraction from my pain, though.”

 

“Glad I could help. That person is missing out on a tasty boyfriend though.”

 

Victor laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that compliment before!”

 

“There’s a first time for everything. I’m sure Makkachin does her best to cheer you up as well,” Eros said.

 

Eros had remembered his dog’s name. Eros was a dog person.

 

“She does! Mostly through getting into trouble… I got some pictures of her the other day! She almost got a hold of an outfit I was repairing, looked so pleased with herself when I told her off! Look at this…”

 

Victor pulled out his phone, quickly scrolling to the most recent photo set of Makkachin. He handed it to Eros. “There’s a few if you want to scroll.”

 

Eros took the phone, looking at the screen before covering his mouth with a laugh. “She looks so proud of herself - clearly you weren’t paying her enough attention…” Eros smiled while scrolling, chuckling again at a close up. He handed the phone back.

 

“Obviously you should be a better owner and lavish her with attention all day. Then she wouldn’t have to be naughty.”

 

Victor laughed. “You don’t know Makkachin - even if I lavish her with attention she’s naughty anyway because she gets excited. There’s no winning with her! Do you have any pets?”

 

“A dog, back home in Japan. When he knows he’s going for a walk he gets excited and runs off with one of your shoes. He’s only very small though so it’s funny to watch,” Eros smiled fondly, eyes drifting to the side for a moment, no doubt thinking of said dog. Definitely a dog person. Victor wondered if he would be allowed to fetch Makkachin to the club.

 

“What sort of dog is he?”

 

“A toy poodle, like a very tiny Makkachin. Same colour.” Eros held up his hands in an approximate measurement of the dog in question.

 

“Do your parents look after him now?” Victor pressed again, Eros was certainly being more open this evening.

 

Eros nodded. “He lives with my family, my sister takes care of him mostly, I believe.”

 

“You have a sister?”

 

“Yes, older. You?” Eros turned the question back on him.

 

“No, an only child.”

 

“What do your parents do?”

 

Victor raised an eyebrow at the question.

 

“Don’t look at me like that, you started this game of 50 questions,” Eros responded.

 

“Mother is a dancer, she teaches now. Father is a director.”

 

Eros nodded. “Is that how they met?”

 

“Yes, I hear many stories about the prima ballerina who won over the mean old director’s heart…” Victor trailed off with a laugh. “How about your parents?”

 

“They run an onsen,” Victor was about to ask for clarification when Eros read his face, “a bath house, with hot springs and guest rooms.”

 

“How did you parents meet?”

 

“School - childhood sweethearts.”

 

Victor nodded. “Is it true that you have to be naked in the spring baths in Japan?”

 

Eros gave another nod. “You wash before you go in, but you go in naked.”

 

“Chris said you were, but I wasn’t sure if that was the truth or Chris was just being Chris.”

 

Eros laughed. “You were wise to question that, but yes, you are naked in them.”

 

“I imagine they were a life saver when you were learning ballet,” Victor said, imagining the hot baths of his youth as he tried to soak the aches and pains of long days of practice away.

 

Eros nodded again. “My parents used to complain because I would be in there for entire evenings sometimes. My mother could only tempt me out with food.”

 

Victor chuckled. “Anything in particular?”

 

“Katsudon. Breaded and deep fried pork cutlet with egg and rice- not something I could eat regularly because it’s heavy food, but I got to eat it when I won anything.”

 

“Wow, that sounds amazing…”

 

Eros nodded almost enthusiastically, some of the cool exterior cracking further. “I’ve never found one as good as my mother’s though. I’ve made it a few times but it’s never quite as tasty.”

 

“That’s because mother’s food is made with love, when we make it for ourselves it’s because we just want feeding,” Victor explained, remembering his own mother saying something similar when he had been younger.

 

“I like that. I always just thought it was because that’s what your taste buds were adjusted to,” Eros replied, a smile on his face.

 

“That too, but mother’s love is the secret ingredient!” Victor nodded firmly.

 

“Aaah, a mother’s boy?”

 

“Totally, it’s where my good looks come from! I’m not hearing that from you anyway, Mr. My-Mother’s-Katsudon-Is-The-Best,”

 

Eros laughed, conceding the point. “Fine. Now enough of family talk. How is this outfit coming on that you promised me?”

 

“Still in design stage, trying to make something I am happy with. You are a challenge, Eros.” In more ways than one.

 

“Glad to be able to entertain you even when you’re not here.”

 

“Oh you certainly do that…”

 

Victor picked up the trace of a blush on Eros’ cheeks, getting a small amused smile in return for his comment.

 

A knock at the door broke their gaze, Chris and Arthur stepping into the room a moment later.

 

“I’m sure you two are having a wonderful chat here but everyone would like to go home and sleep now so wrap it up,” Arthur clapped his hands, shooing Victor from his chair and towards Chris.

 

Victor leant over, taking Eros’ hand and placing a kiss on it as a goodbye once again.

 

“I’ll see you next week,”

 

“See you next week.”

 

“I look forward to what you have in store for us next week, Eros.” Chris winked as he pushed Victor through the door.

 

As they left the club, they joined Yuri who was stood on the pavement, chatting animatedly to the man who worked on the bandstand. Victor half expected an angry lecture for keeping him waiting but his apprentice seemed quite happy where he was. Victor cast a confused look at Chris who raised his eyebrows in response before leaning in to whisper to Victor.

 

“Every time there’s been a break the pair of them have been chatting - I didn’t realise he could smile.”

 

“I didn’t either…this is so weird.”

 

They watched the pair for a while before the chill in the air began to creep into their clothes and they hailed a taxi, finally dragging Yuri away from his new friend.

 

“So who’s your new friend, Yuri?” Chris asked. He knew Otabek, knew Otabek often kept to himself, but was always polite and helpful when working so no-one had any complaints.

 

“I thought you knew everyone there?”

 

“I do, but didn’t realise the two of you would get along so well.”

 

“He’s cool. Did you know he also works on motorbikes in his day job? He’s a DJ and he has motorbikes - plural!”

 

“You’re going to take a ride on his bike then?” Chris asked. Victor elbowed him.

 

“One of them,” Victor was glad Yuri had missed the innuendo. “He said I could pick which one.”

 

“I’m sure that’ll be fun.”

 

“What’s with you and that dancer anyway, you were in there forever, and he kept singling you out when he was on stage. Did you finally get over shop boy? Are you finally going to stop pining?”

 

Victor wasn’t sure how to reply. He didn’t know what was with him and Eros - he was a man who came to the club and Eros entertained him and was happy to talk with him. He knew a lot of Eros was a show - saw it in the occasional crack of that perfect veneer, when something less polished but more genuine made it’s way through. Victor couldn’t deny the attraction to Eros, who wouldn’t be, the desire to find out more about him, to work out who the man behind the stage persona was.

 

But Yuuri still lurked in the background of his thoughts. He thought he had finally started accepting that Yuuri had gone from his life, simultaneously cursing himself for getting so attached without making a move and still holding onto the hope that he might see him again.

 

“So you’re still pining, just take Eros on a date already and get shop boy out of your system.

 

“Eros is stubborn about keeping his work and personal life separate, so don’t get your hopes up,” Chris interjected as he saw the determination forming on Victor’s face. “I mean, if he were to make an exception for anyone it would be you, but if you decide to ask, don’t be surprised if he shoots you down. Remember what I said.”

 

Well what was another rejection? Victor nodded, next week he would ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If you liked it a comment is massively appreciated! They make my day!
> 
> If you want to see Yuuri's outfit, it is [this!](http://misspollyrae.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Slide_MissPollyRae-Double.jpg)
> 
> My tumblr is [sothisiswhyamihere](http://sothisiswhyiamhere.tumblr.com) if you want to follow and be subjected to YOI, Eruri, YuGiOh, One Punch Man and magical boys!


	10. B is for... Big Ass Shocks to the System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY

Victor bent over his sketch pad, frowning at the figure sketched on the paper. Smooth lines depicting Eros’ body sat in the centre with lines crossing him, depicting the presence of clothing, how it should sit and cling. He ripped the page out and tossed it into the bin, beginning afresh, the movement of the pencil tracing Eros’ curves now second nature to him.

He frowned at the paper once again. Pictured Eros and his costumes in his mind.

Nothing original had occurred to him yet; every idea had failed to capture something of Eros. Not sensual enough, not attractive enough, not mysterious enough or too much of those, ignoring the small smiles, the laugh, the expression on his face as he had looked at pictures of Makkachin. The costume had to represent Eros and so far Victor was coming up infuriatingly blank, all ideas simply another costume for Eros to wear and discard.

He needed to know more, let Eros see that he knew there was more beneath that veneer.

“If you’re gonna keep sighing like that, go sit in your office and close the door! Some of us are trying to actually work!” Yuri snapped, looking up from the outfit he had been assigned to fix.

“Victor is feeling the stab of lost love…” Georgi commented, briefly glancing up from his work on a dressed mannequin.

“He wishes he was feeling the stab of something alright,” Chris remarked as he walked into the room, taking a seat opposite Victor.

Yuri’s face crinkled in disgust as he turned back to his work, signing out of the conversation altogether.

“Yakov will be here soon,” Victor muttered to Chris, flipping his sketch pad closed and pushing it aside.

“Costume design not going well then?” Chris pulled the sketchpad towards him and began to flick through the ones that hadn’t been designated to bin liners. “Some of these look really good, Victor. I’m sure he’d like them.”

“They’re not right though, I need to make something that shows him, it needs to represent him as he is, not just the part on stage…”

Chris sighed.

“Didn’t we discuss this already? You’d need to get him to agree to a date.”

“That’s the plan!”

A firm knock sounded at the door, Yakov letting himself in a moment later.

“Afternoon, gentlemen.” Yakov nodded at everyone as he took a seat at the table with Victor and Chris. 

“Coffee, Yakov?” Victor stood, Yakov was demanding and cranky at the best of times, but a dose of caffeine and cream seemed to help soothe him.

“Please,” Yakov sat a binder on the counter, flicking through some of the sheets, taking some out and placing them on the table where Victor had been sat.

As Victor slid the drink to Yakov, he picked up one of the pages, giving it a brief glance over. 

“Yakov, do my eyes spy the word ‘contemporary’? Are you branching out in your old age?” Victor eye-balled the paper, recognising the name.

“Well Touch is technically difficult, and gives us an opportunity to showcase an equal amount of men and women.” Yakov replied, ignoring the teasing.

“It’s also a story about relationships…” Chris offered. 

“Hmm?” Victor raised his eyebrows at Yakov. The fact that he had been working with his ex-wife was not something Victor among others had missed.

He was sure a small dash of pink graced Yakov’s cheeks. “Less focus on my personal life and more focus on yours would do you the world of good, Victor.”

“He needs less focus on his love life if you ask me, it’s all he talks about!” Yuuri added. “He might get some work done if he stopped yapping about it for five minutes.”

“Now come on Yuri, don’t think I didn’t see you blush the other night when Eros spoke to you,” Chris interjected, turning to grin at the younger man. “Sporting a crush are we? Or did you forget for Mr. Handsome DJ?”

This time it was Yuri’s turn to blush. “I didn’t blush!”

“You are now.” Chris was grinning as he gazed at Yuri.

With a strangled noise of frustration, Yuri stopped talking again and turned his back on the group.

“Anyway,” Yakov coughed, “I’m going to need eight outfits to start, there might be another set required in future, for four men and four women. The theme is relationships so please subtly match the couples according to the description there.”

“Can I come and sit in on the auditions? To get a feeling for what you want?” Victor asked.

“Say ‘no’, he’s trying to escape work again,” Yuri replied.

“If it’ll help you I can’t see why not. Stay at the back and keep your mouth shut though. You’re there to be inspired, not help hiring.” Yakov pointed a finger at Victor who stared back, feigning innocence.

“Now would I ever do that…?”

“You would and you have, you can come in only if you stay silent.”

“Fine,” Victor pouted for a moment before flicking through the papers given to him.

“Did you have any preliminary thoughts on materials or colour? I need to know if I have to order extra in,” Chris asked.

“Well Lilia suggested…”

“Ooooooh!” Chris and Victor chorused.

Yakov sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

 

“I have an audition tomorrow,” Yuuri said, trying to keep his voice casual as he got changed behind the screen.

“What what what? When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?!” Phichit stuck his head around the screen as Yuuri changed.

“I sent my portfolio but didn’t know if I would hear back, and I didn’t want to tell anyone until I did. It involves Lilia Baranovskaya and they turned me down after my audition last time so I didn’t even know if I’d be invited to audition…” Yuuri trailed off, fastening the buttons on his shirt.

“Want me to come for emotional support?” Phichit asked.

“No, I’ll be fine, I think.”

“Nervous?”

“Yes.” No point in lying.

“Well, it can’t be any worse than singing AND stripping,”

“It can because I really care about this. I mean obviously I care about having a good performance here, but this show is what I have been aiming for my whole life, so the pressure is greater.”

Phichit looked thoughtful for a moment. “Makes sense. Well good luck! Do you know what routine you’re doing?”

“One with minimal jumps and maximum spins,” Yuuri said definitively.

“That’s right Yuuri, play to your strong points. And if in doubt, take your top off!”

“...I don’t think that will get me a place.”

“No, but why not? If you flunk do it anyway and they might come see you here!”

“No.”

“Aww, spoil sport.”

“I don’t know what you’re complaining at me for, you still need to get your introduction finished for this performance.”

“I’ll think it up while I watch!”

Yuuri rolled his eyes, finally adjusting his blazer before accompanying Phichit into the club.

The dancers were gathered for a rare group performance, something Yuuko had been cooking up for a while as an anniversary special. Today was a costumed run through, with Takeshi, Phichit and Chris as spectators and judges. 

Yuuri took his seat next to Sara, with JJ and Mila sitting at their own school style desks along the stage.

“I’m almost nervous about this, I haven’t danced since before the triplets!” Yuuko adjusted her costume.

“You’ll be fine, and if anyone laughs hit them with your riding crop!” Mila said with great enthusiasm. Yuuri suspected she would be getting her hands on the riding crop before long if she had her way.

“Good idea! Now we’re gonna do a run through with the music and then the boys will give us some feedback, but I want to hear from you guys as well!” Yuuko stated, nodding to Otabek who sat quietly to the side.

They ran through, Yuuri focusing on the performance and how to remove his outfit; blazer, trousers and a shirt were a little more difficult to get rid of than his usual choices, though luckily he didn’t have to concentrate on removing the clothes in an entirely seductive way. That was not the point of this performance after all.

Phichit cackled through his applause. “Oh this is going to go down well! Where did you even get this idea, Yuuko?”

“A late nineties number ones list on the TV, and a large helping of caffeine.”

“I hope we’ll be seeing some more of you on the stage after this, it’s like you never left,” Chris said with a smile. “We missed your brand of humour.”

“Well we can’t spend all of our time laughing at Victor,” Phichit elbowed Chris.

“We probably could but it would be unfair. And he is only here one night a week, you still have to liven the other two up.” Chris replied matter of factly.

“I liked it!” Takeshi added. “You all kept your personalities, which I thought might clash when you were all together or might get lost in the performance but it worked, especially as the music got frantic. You were fantastic, Yuuko!”

Yuuri spotted the small blush on Yuuko’s face. They were a cute couple.

“Otabek?” Yuuko glanced over, getting a nod and a thumbs up as a response. He agreed.

“Right, did anyone on stage have any issues?” She turned to the dancers. 

The dancers shook their heads.

“Good, another run through!”

Three more perfect run throughs with everyone’s hair and clothing becoming increasingly ruffled, Yuuko finally let them off stage. Yuuri could understand her need for perfection - whenever he tried something new he liked to do the same.

They dressed for the final time, grumblings about difficult to iron clothing passing between them. They joined the others at the table, Otabek waving goodbye as he left, discussing the performance and any ideas that might improve it. Yuuri sat himself next to Phichit and Chris.

“So, Yuuri, Phichit tells me you have an audition tomorrow?” Chris leaned in and spoke quietly to Yuuri amidst the enthusiastic talk of the group.

Yuuri nodded. “It’s for a show called Touch. I don’t know if I’ll get in.”

“I think you’d fit the part well,” Chris tilted his head, “I’m the guy providing the material for it. Victor will be doing costume design for it as well.”

“Really?” Yuuri perked up. Something not missed by Phichit.

“Oh so you get to wear Victor’s clothes and suddenly you’re excited…” Phichit dramatically rolled his eyes, getting a shove in return from Yuuri.

“Shush, Phichit! He designs clothes for lots of famous shows, why wouldn’t I want someone like that in the show?”

“You might see him at the show, you know. I’m sure I could convince him to show up… Will you tell him?” Chris asked.

“I…” Yuuri wasn’t sure. Facing Victor as a successful ballet dancer in a show would be easier than facing him as a shop assistant but then Victor would not only know he was Eros but would also realise that he had been lied to for months. There wasn’t really any way to explain that away and he doubted Victor would be happy about it…

“Chances are you won’t see him of course, a lot of the time costumes are picked up from his office and delivered back for adjustments,” Chris said, studying Yuuri’s face. “But I do want you to be prepared for the possibility.”

“Thank you. I’ll think about it…” Yuuri sighed. 

Phichit elbowed him. “Don’t sweat it for now, Yuuri. Just concentrate on getting through the auditions first.”

Yuuri took a breath and nodded. 

“Good luck for tomorrow, I hope you get it. Can’t see why not with your talents and charm though. Be sure to switch a little of that Eros on to attract the judges though.” Chris winked with a smile, relaxing Yuuri slightly. “And don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Victor. This is your secret identity to disclose.”

Yuuri nodded, more tension seeping out.

“Thank you.”

“Just don’t be afraid to tell him, he quite likes that you remembered his dog’s name, you know?”

“Yuuri, you let your inner dog person out?” Phichit shook his head. “Honestly, you wind such a perfect persona around yourself and then it crumbles because dog photos.”

“Hot guy with dog photos,” Chris corrected.

“Okay, that. Still, Yuuri!”

Phichit teased him for the rest of the afternoon, taking his mind off the audition; and the likelihood of meeting Victor again without the veneer of Eros to hide behind.

 

 

Yuuri worked his way through a series of warm ups and stretches. His earphones were seated firmly, the music forcing him to focus on the rhythm and not on the impending audition. Other dancers surrounded him - in regular dance wear this time - focusing on themselves. This seemed a world away from the burlesque auditions where people stood and talked for most of the wait to audition. Now people stood by themselves, focused internally on their bodies and the audition that lay ahead of them.

Yuuri tried to remember his feelings from his burlesque audition; the fear, nausea, uncertainty, sheer embarrassment and the weird elated high of being praised. Burlesque had become almost second nature now in a way that it never had with ballet, he rarely felt nerves on stage as Eros, was able to slide into the persona so thoroughly that all traces of anxiety were trodden into the dirt by a pair of fake louboutins. As he stretched, he tried to pull a little of Eros back to him again, the confidence would help him here. He had searched for the show online to find some information about it, a little sexuality would probably help but full blown Eros would be too much.

Of course, that also depended on the judges not being put off by his current line of work.

Phichit had insisted he made a note of it in his portfolio, insisted the benefit of stage performance would outweigh the negatives associated with the stripping.

He heard his name called, the sound of the staff member’s voice over-riding his music.

Switching it off he placed it into his bag and made his way towards the stage, dumping his bag where the stage hand indicated. He took one last deep breath and tried to meet Eros halfway.

Yuuri would have to be himself for this, but Eros would help.

And so would Victor; Victor who would be an enraptured audience member who knew when to clap and cheer, when to look awed and who would respond enthusiastically to each of his glances. Victor who he would much rather perform for than any of the judges. If only he was there today, this would be a lot easier…

He pictured Victor sitting up in the wings somewhere, watching this performance.

 

 

Victor shuffled in his seat, some good dancers had passed through, certainly a few likely candidates for the show. Over the years he had learned to spot the moves and poise that would attract Yakov’s attention. Yakov had high standards, but was also willing to pick out the less polished if there was a clear potential that needed shaping - though heaven help the dancer who needed this - Yakov would work them endlessly until they reached his expectations. Victor had ticked off three in his mind that he was sure Yakov would go for - excellent dancers for sure but nothing that set them apart from each other. Technically brilliant with great poise, maybe lacking slightly in stage presence in his opinion.

His mind drifted as another performer stepped onto the stage, if only one of them was able to command the stage in the way Eros did, draw all eyes to him, letting the music speak through his body, every muscle and sinew poised for maximum effect with seemingly no effort whatsoever. His burning gaze singling people out, pulling them into the performance before breaking the contact and thrusting them away again. Not to mention his spinning ability, that would impress Yakov no end and probably guarantee him a spot.

Maybe he should have told Eros about the auditions. He might have been interested, might have stepped away from the stage persona and let Victor get to know him further…

He stifled a yawn and began picking at a fingernail - auditions were more fun when he could comment. His thoughts drifted back to Eros, the soft heat of his skin and how it felt against his fingers, the tension and strength in the muscles of his back…

“Next!” Yakov’s voice ran out, snapping him out of his thoughts. Lilia sat silently beside him alongside a new choreographer that Victor didn’t recognise but had briefly been introduced to before being banished to the back of the large room, the highest seats at the back looking down on the stage where hopeful dancers came and went.

As the next dancer came on, Victor’s breath caught in his throat.

“Name?” Yakov barked.

“Yuuri Katsuki.”

Chris’ words came back to Victor’s mind as he stared down at the figure on the stage, currently nervously fiddling with his hands - something he had done in the store so many times while Victor spoke to him - nodding at something said by Yakov.

‘If it’s meant to be he will find a way back to you.’

His heart swelled, he had known Yuuri was a dancer of some sort, hadn’t realised it was ballet. Of course an audition would be the perfect place to look for him…

Music began, flooding the auditorium as Yuuri began to dance. Smooth lines, defined poses, the tight clothing highlighting muscles as they tensed and relaxed as he moved across the stage. Yuuri had a great stage presence, seeming to step into another personality as he danced, any signs of nerves vanishing as he moved, eyes locking with an imaginary audience.

Coming to a stop, Yuuri stepped into a grand battement, leg arching impressively high behind him..

Victor’s breath caught in his throat.

He knew that move - any ballet dancer knew the move, even if they couldn’t execute it. It had been partially attempted a few times today, but he had only ever seen it executed in this way, hand reaching back as though to remove the dance shoe on his foot…

He focused on Yuuri again. His hair had been slicked back, unlike his usual style when he worked at the shop, without his usual glasses and the difference it made to his face, all he was missing was make-up…

He swallowed, exhaling and inhaling suddenly before his breath caught again.

Yuuri executed a set of spins and Victor counted twelve. The last time he had seen that he had been pulling the material away, watching rapt as more and more skin had been exposed...

He sat back in his chair, watching as Yuuri finished his performance, taking centre stage again as Yakov began asking questions, catching his breath as he focussed on the panel.

“We noticed in your portfolio that you’ve been working in a burlesque club, now normally we wouldn’t want the association of that with this company you understand…”

Yuuri nodded. “I understand. I took all precautions to preserve my privacy and only performed under a stage name and with make-up. Only the other staff members know my real name, but I found the hours were better and allowed me more time to practice for auditions than my previous line of work, and the stage experience has been beneficial.” Yuuri looked nervous- he was in an audition after all - but it was well controlled and more importantly, hadn’t been apparent during the dancing.

“You have certainly become more accustomed to the stage since your last audition with us, Mr. Katsuki. It is not something I entirely approve of, however, your dedication to bettering yourself is commendable,” Lilia commented; Victor still couldn’t read her tone even after having known her for several years.

“You say you were unrecognisable, but you haven’t provided any pictures. Are any available? We may wish to decide for ourselves how far removed you are from that particular stage persona.” Yakov spoke up, gesturing to the portfolio in front of him.

“Yes, the club name and website are listed in the information. They have pictures of each of the performers in the gallery so you would be able to see there. I wasn’t sure how proper the photos would be for a ballet and contemporary dance portfolio so I left them out but I wanted to be truthful.”

“Stage name is Eros, correct?” Yakov intervened.

Yuuri nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP now Victor knows but WHAT WILL HE DO?
> 
> WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN?
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Feedback gives me life! I am sorry we had a chapter that didn't involve Yuuri at the club!


	11. B is for... Baby One More Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor knows. Yuuri does not know that he knows.
> 
> There is a group dance.
> 
> Chris is Tired(TM).

_Yuuri is Eros._

__

His thoughts raced, slipping through his fingers like water as he futiley tried to grasp at the strands, to find a solid ground somewhere as the world seemed to spin out of control.

 

__Yuuri has been lying to me this whole time…_ _

__

Everything began to slow down as the rejection sunk in - why else would he lie about the show as Yuuri and then say nothing as Eros? Warmth spiked at his eyes, snapping him back to reality as tears bled over onto his cheeks.

 

Yuuri left the stage in a small run, clearly eager to escape the gazes of the judges. Yakov leaned in to discuss a verdict with Lilia and the choreographer, the words hushed and beyond Victor’s hearing.

 

He dashed the tears away with his sleeves and left the room through one of the audience doors, head down, ignoring the burning in his eyes as he marched through the corridors, careful not to look at anyone and outside to the quiet of his car.

 

He took a deep breath, forcing his emotions down and started the car with only one destination in mind. Leaving the parking lot, he focused on the road ahead, recounting details of the cars in front, the signposts, road markings, to think about anything other than the storm of thoughts rushing around his skull.

 

He pulled up outside Chris’ shop, letting himself in and pre-emtively changing the sign to closed.

 

“Hi, how can I-” Chris stopped as he spotted Victor, frown appearing.

  
”Victor? What’s wrong?”

 

“Eros is Yuuri.”

 

“...Aah, you met him at the audition,” Chris suspected they would bump into each other but hadn’t expected this reaction. “Why the upset? I would have thought this would be a good thing…”

 

“He’s-” Victor started, then his eyes widened. “I am such an idiot… I never told you his name.”

 

“Whose name?” Chris guided Victor into his office.

 

“Shop-boy. Yuuri is shop boy. Yuuri is also Eros.” Victor repeated, feeling the heat building in his eyes again.

 

“Ooookay, let me get you a drink and you let it loose,” Chris reached into the cupboard for a glass of wine. He could get Georgi to pick Victor up later.

 

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Victor’s voice creaked as he spoke.

 

“I don’t know,” Chris passed the glass to Victor. “He never mentioned it to me.”

 

“We spoke for months before he started at the club, but he tried to put me off that - __that’s__  the local show he was talking about!”

 

Chris nodded. “I imagine so.”

 

“Okay, if he didn’t like me, fine. Maybe he just wasn’t interested and I misread the situation, and that’s why, fine, I can put up with that,” he could feel the muscle in his chin twitching, causing his lip to quiver. “But if he wasn’t interested, why did he single me out at the club? Let me backstage to talk to him? Oh god he asked me questions he already knew the answers to! What the hell?” He could feel anger edging in, clawing away at the shock.

 

Chris moved from his chair to sit by Victor and put an arm around him.

 

“Victor, now listen to me. Yuuri has been very strict about keeping his stage persona from his normal life. The only people who know who he is during the day are those who work at the club. Not his family, not his other friends, no-one except the staff. This isn’t a quirk specific to you, his own family could walk in and he would act like he didn’t know them.”

 

“Fine, he doesn’t tell me, but then why let me backstage? Why single me out? If he wanted to hide he could have done it much better by not paying me any attention. Was this just to entertain himself and -?” Victor paused, eyes widening. “Arthur is Phichit! His boyfriend! Was this just an ongoing joke for them?” He could feel his voice getting louder as he spoke.

 

“I’m not going to lie, the whole thing between you and Er- Yuuri was a source of great entertainment for Phichit and me, but it wasn’t planned. Yuuri did those things of his own voilition, once or twice with no warning to us because they were things that never happened in rehearsal,” Chris poured himself a small dose of wine and then patted Victor to try and soothe him. “At no point in rehearsal for Bad did he leave the stage and before he flung his stocking at you he had never done it before. Those were spontaneous things. Also Phichit is not his boyfriend - they’re just friends and flatmates. So you did assume wrongly after bumping into them.”

 

“I am such an idiot, how did I not realise. I’ve spent months going on about how in love I am with Yuuri and when he’s literally in my lap I don’t realise it’s him. This is so embarrassing…” Victor downed his glass and held it up for Chris who sighed but poured more. “They must think I am such an idiot…”

 

“In fairness to you, I am accustomed to seeing him before he gets into make-up and I think he’s unrecognisable on stage,” Chris said, taking a sip of his own wine. “We all think it, no-one is going to think lesser of you for it.”

 

“Do you realise I have literally felt guilty at times for liking Eros when I still liked Yuuri? I’ve been feeling bad over liking the same damn person, who for some reason keeps flirting with me as far as I can tell but who doesn’t care enough to actually tell me the truth.” Victor downed the rest of his wine. Chris removed the glass from him a moment later and patted him on the shoulder.

 

“I think for now, we should sit and talk and you should let this almost one year of pining and sexual frustration out. Then I think you need to ask Yuuri some questions, but not until you’ve had some time to process.”

 

“Do you think he actually likes me Chris? Or was I just being used as an ego-boost?”

 

“Honestly? I think he does like you, but I don’t know the ins and outs of his mind, Victor, he keeps things close to his chest. Only he can explain why he didn’t tell you anything. Maybe he would eventually, maybe he wouldn’t. I am not the person to tell you.”

 

Victor sighed and tried to reach for the wine bottle, Chris swiftly moving it out of his reach, ignoring Victor’s pout.

 

“He clearly doesn’t like me that much or he would have said something - maybe it was all just part of the act since he pretended to be way more interested as Eros than he ever did as Yuuri. And apparently I don’t like him as much as I thought because I stared into his goddamn eyes so many times in __both__  personas and didn’t realise it was him so I’m clearly a fraud as well.” Victor sunk down again, forgetting about the wine.

 

“I’ll defend you again and say that your brain was clearly not functioning properly while he was Eros,” Chris gave a little shrug.

 

“Not helping.”

 

“Sorry. You’re allowed to be upset though, most people would be under the circumstances. Just…I’m sure he has a reason for it, I don’t think he was being malicious.”

 

“I’m upset, I’m angry - when the hell do I ever get angry Chris? I can’t remember the last time I got this angry at anything! Even my ex!”

 

“You got pretty emotionally invested - in both Yuuris. Just let it sink in and work through it, then you can decide what to do next. I assume you don’t want to go to the club this weekend?”

 

“No, I’d better not. I don’t think I’d be able to keep my mouth shut.” Victor finished with a sigh. The tears didn’t seem to be looming anymore but his stomach felt like it was trying to devour itself.

 

“Do you want me to have a word with him?” Chris asked.

 

“No, I’ll deal with it, somehow. When I’ve had time to cool off. You work in the same place, you don’t need to be dragged into this…” Victor let his head fall onto the back of the couch, turning slightly reddened eyes to Chris.

 

“Night in with wine and snacks instead?”

 

“Only if Makkachin can come.”

 

“Deal.”

 

 

 

 

 

[“Oh baby, baby,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5VL4sz7_Dk) how was I supposed to know?”

 

Yuuri sat in his chair, gazing disinterestedly into the audience, school blazer sat just so, miming along to the backing vocals where required. As Yuuko turned her back on him and Sara to stroll to the other end of the stage, the two of them grinned at each other before turning to the audience, smirks on their faces as Sara slid her skirt up her leg, extending her leg so the audience could see. Yuuri pulled his shirt loose from his trousers, flashing a sliver of skin before the whistles from the audience alerted Yuuko who turned suddenly, tapping the riding crop against her other hand and affixing the two of them with a firm glare, the two hiding their transgressions immediately, picking up the school books that lay on the desk in front of them.

 

As she strolled across the stage, gaze fixed on Sara and Yuuri before turning sharply back to the audience, Mila and JJ began the same process, loosening clothing to elicit a response from the audience and hiding it as Yuuko turned. They got further and further, loosening items of clothing discreetly as Yuuko mimed to the song, every inch the strict school mistress as she tried to hold the audience’s attention despite the behaviour of her ‘students’ behind her.

 

The song slowed, music turning thoughtful for a moment. Yuuri glanced at the table where Victor normally sat with Chris. A couple sat there tonight, the table missing its usual reserved sign, though Yuuri was sure he spotted Victor’s blond friend who came with him last time hanging out by the music stand - no sign of Victor accompanying him.

 

Yuuko faced away, focused on the audience as the song sped up again, the dancers sat at the small school desks surreptitiously loosening the final parts of their costumes that would allow easy removal once the moment came.

 

“And give me a sign, hit me baby one more time!”

 

Circus style music kicked in as the head mistress realised her students were stripping, Yuuko ripping her own clothing off piece by piece to try and cover her students up, she briefly held her corset up in front of Yuuri’s groin as he discarded his trousers as he sat on his desk before turning and rushing off, pulling her bra free and trying to cover Mila with it as she flung her shirt behind her. With a gasp, Yuuko turned to the audience and covered her groin and breasts with her arms, only a g-string and nipple pasties remaining.

 

The audience erupted into applause and laughter. They held their poses for a moment before the lights went down, everyone scurrying off and allowing the stage hands to remove the furniture.

 

Phichit’s voice sounded behind them as they left the final show of the night. The club would be open for another hour or so though most people would finish their drinks and filter out once the show had finished. People had begun to wait around the door for the dancers, JJ, Mila and Sara had gone out a few times while still in full hair and make-up, Yuuri had managed to avoid it by having suspenders delivered to anyone who waited for him along with a convenient excuse by Phichit. That seemed to work for his fans. Phichit had decided long ago that mystery was one of his selling points, and it worked just fine for Yuuri.

 

Safely in his room, he wriggled out of the g-string, grabbing a pair of boxers and pulling those and his jeans on before sitting down to remove his make-up. The night had gone well, the club’s birthday had involved an extra set, and everyone had pulled out their most popular performances, as well as extra performances where Sara, much like he had with Victor, sang without removing anything - as long as the outfit was sexy enough the audience hadn’t seemed to mind. Even less so if someone was invited up on stage while the audience alternately laughed at their embarrassment and seethed with jealousy when they had a beautiful dancer in their lap.

 

His mind wandered to Victor, his absence a gaping void that drew his attention, pulling him from the state of mind he had been able to slip into so easily in the past. He focused on other audience members as he always had, but every time he came back to the table, he was jolted momentarily as he remembered that Victor was not waiting for him. Yuuri had never thought himself to be invested in the job - it was a way to make money and gain experience until he was able to work in ballet afterall - but now that he had no-one to aim his performances at, they felt almost boring. Even as the audience cheered and whistled, he passed through the motions but…

 

He chewed his lip, trying to figure out exactly what the problem was.

 

It was too broad… when Victor had arrived he had started branching out, changing things even to his own surprise to get a reaction, to make sure that every time Victor saw him he would see something new, something that kept him wanting more…

 

He swallowed, eyebrows lifting in realisation.

 

He didn’t want to seduce an audience, he wanted to seduce Victor.

 

Yuuri groaned and let his head fall forward onto the dresser, the impact rattling the various tubs and tubes of make-up. Lifting it, he banged it gently against the cool surface a few times.

 

Find a job and hinge being able to do well on one person. A person who wasn’t here this week. A person who might well have lost interest, might have found someone real to spend time with instead of a fake persona who they could only pay to see on a Saturday night…

 

One of many in the brilliant ideas of his life.

 

He took a deep breath and sat himself up again, focusing on trying to mess his hair up and pull it from the gelled position it had been kept in all night.

 

“Yuuri, give me two stockings, you have two fans outside!”

 

“Just grab some from the pack over there.”

 

Phichit leaned down, his face appearing behind Yuuri in the mirror, a weird grin on his face. “They want used ones, Yuuri.”

 

Yuuri scrunched his face up, giving Phichit a confused look who just shrugged.

 

“Specific request. I guess they wanna sniff them while they…”

 

“No more, Phichit! I want to be able to sleep soundly tonight and not question __all__  my choices in life for once!” Yuuri stood up and raided the dirty pile for a pair of stockings he had worn earlier and handing them to Phichit with a look.

 

“Wish me luck!”

 

Phichit vanished again, leaving Yuuri to try and scrub his mind clear of the mental images Phichit had conjured. Picking up a new wipe, he was about to fight his lipstick off when the realisation that Victor had taken home multiple used stockings of his sank in.

 

Surely he didn’t.

 

No, Victor probably had no shortage of people he could invite round for that, Yuuri’s used stockings probably got thrown in the bin as he stepped through the door.

 

No. He definitely didn’t keep them for __that.__

 

Yuuri shook his head, determined to focus on removing his make-up so that he was ready for Phichit. He pulled a jumper on and then set to packing the dirty clothing into a small suitcase, ready to be washed. A day of laundry and hand washing loomed in his imminent future.

 

This was the upside to ballet - your outfits were cleaned for you, or you were never close enough to the audience for them to smell you.

 

It had been a few days since the audition, and he had been informed that he would hear something within the next few weeks if it was a positive result. He had actually been pleased with the audition; his extra practice time and lack of retail stress had made a real difference and his performances as Eros had allowed him to perfect a few techniques. The stage experience - especially under the circumstances had actually worked, allowing him to enter that frame of mind, and pretending that Victor had been there, letting Victor see his full dancing ability outside of the club had been a strangely enticing thought…

 

A sigh.

 

“Why the sigh, Yuuri?” Phichit reappeared. “I have bestowed your kind gifts upon your admirers and they have gone to do who-knows-what with them. You rocked on stage tonight, everyone is happy… are you missing your number one fan?”

 

“It didn’t feel right tonight without Victor there.”

 

“Yeah, it was weird not being able to pick on him, but didn’t Chris say they were working on this new show you auditioned for? Maybe they’ve got some extra work to do now to start getting ready, and outfit designs and everything. Aren’t Yakov and Lilia supposed to be hard to work for?”

 

“I heard they could be very demanding, but I suppose Victor is used to that if he’s designing outfits for performances all over the world…”

 

“I’m sure he’ll be back, Yuuri. At some point he’s going to need a new stocking cos your smell’s gonna wear off!”

 

Yuuri threw Phichit’s jeans at him to shut him up.

 

As he finally wiped the lipstick away, he hoped Victor would return soon. Life was more fun that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT IS KNOWN
> 
> Aaah Yuuri, enjoy your cluelessness while it lasts. Now what is Victor gonna do? And is anyone gonna think of Chris?
> 
> Can I have Chris' life please where I own a shop and close it when my friend shows up for a drink?
> 
> As always feedback gives me life! I have the next few chapters done in rough now and have started the final chapter! So hopefully this will all be up before christmas!


	12. B is for Ballet or Burlesque

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri continues to be sadly oblivious.

_Dear Mr. Katsuki,_

__

__We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for a position in the line-up for Touch as one of the four lead men…_ _

 

 

Yuuri clutched the letter, reading the lines over and over again in case his mind was playing tricks on him. He collapsed back onto the couch, hands shaking as he forced himself to read the rest of the letter, looking for any sign of a clause or suggestion that he was reading this the wrong way.

 

 

__‘...We realise you have current performance commitments, whilst this will not be a problem during rehearsals, once the show begins, you will be required to work evenings on the weekends. Please take this into consideration should you accept this position._ _

__

__If you wish to accept, please contact us…’_ _

__

 

Yuuri felt tears begin to burn in his eyes as realisation began to sink in. He had done it, and not only that, one of the most notoriously difficult directors in the area had accepted him. Minako would be so proud…

 

He dashed the tears from his eyes, giving the letter another read through.

 

He would have to stop working at the club but that would be months away, plenty of time for them to find a replacement, and plenty of time left to keep seeing Victor. After that…

 

He dashed more tears away. He took a breath and then made for Phichit’s room, knocking before pushing the door open without waiting for an answer.

 

Phichit’s sleep ruffled head popped up from below the duvet, squinting at the light being introduced into his room.

 

“You okay, Yuuri?” Phichit pushed his hair from his face, frowning at Yuuri as he blinked in an attempt to clear his vision.

 

“Yeah, I just…I got it. I got the job.” Yuuri sat on the side of the bed, handing the letter to Phichit, who switched on his bedside lamp to scan over it, a big grin forming on his face.

 

“Congratulations, Yuuri!” Phichit read the rest of the letter, the grin fading slightly. “You’ll have to quit the club eventually though… You okay with that?”

 

“Yeah… I mean, it’s sad because it’s kinda fun, and everyone is really nice… but this is what I wanted to do.” Yuuri gave a small shrug.

 

“And let’s be fair, you’re popular enough that you’d be able to come back and do guest nights! The ballet show isn’t gonna last forever, but it’ll look great when you apply to other shows!”

 

Yuuri nodded, taking the letter back, gazing down at it in wonder.

 

“What will you do about Victor?” Phichit asked.

  
”I don’t know.” Yuuri let the letter fall into his lap, chewing on his lower lip. He would be able to see Victor for a few months more at the club and then…

 

“Are you likely to meet the costume designer for a show?” Phichit tilted his head as he gazed at Yuuri. Yuuri could almost see the cogs turning in his mind.

 

“Probably not, our measurements will get sent off and adjustments made later if needed…” Yuuri thought back to his previous shows, he was sure he had never met a costume designer at any of those.

 

“Then you either try and meet him again - as yourself as part of the show and start again, or you tell him the truth now,” Phichit shrugged. “I recommend the latter, you’re terrible at lying.”

 

“I know but… what if he doesn’t want to see me again? He might only be interested in Eros. Or what if he just doesn’t come back to the club now? That’s two weeks he hasn’t been back now - maybe he got bored, or found someone else or…” The words started tumbling out of Yuuri’s mouth, all the thoughts that passed through his head every time Victor’s table caught his eye and an unfamiliar face jarred him from his performance.

 

“Yuuri. You’re over-thinking this.” Phichit reached over and put his hands on Yuuri’s head as though to hold his thoughts in one place. “I think he liked you before and I think he likes you now. Remember, he’s probably been busy with this new show… You’re awake before me, I think that goes to show that anything is possible after all!”

 

Yuuri chuckled.

 

“You like the guy, Yuuri and believe it or not, every day you is also handsome and extremely likeable. I bet Chris would know if he had a crush on you!” Phichit clicked his fingers as the realisation took hold. “He already agreed that Victor fancies you a Eros, I bet he would know about any of Victor’s crushes from before the club…”

 

“I’m not asking Chris if Victor had a crush on me, this isn’t school! Anyway, Victor was rejected recently and I don’t ever remember him asking me out for me to reject in the first place.” Yuuri couldn’t imagine a world where he could forget Victor asking him out.

 

“Who says he asked that person out? You said he seemed down after meeting you at the mall, I remembered a few weeks ago, when we met him I had my arm around you. I didn’t think about it at the time but he might have assumed we were dating…” Phichit’s voice trailed off.

 

Yuuri was silent. “That can’t be it, surely…”

 

“It’s entirely possible. We should so ask Chris __how__  Victor was rejected.” Phichit was almost vibrating now. “If you know he liked you before then telling him the good news that the guy he liked and Eros are the same person will be fine!”

 

“Except for the part where I’ve been lying to him for months.” Yuuri couldn’t see that going well in any scenario.

 

Phichit nodded. “That could be a problem. Just put that suit with the sheer back on again and sit in his lap, he’ll forgive you pretty quick.”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri gave him a shove.

 

“What, I’m only trying to help you out… I guess the sooner you tell him the better? Try telling him next time he comes. If he doesn’t come back we’ll harass Chris and you can just go over and see him yourself! Don’t even deny that you want to see him…”

 

Yuuri sighed. Phichit was right.

 

Hopefully Victor would come back.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuuri turned his head one way and then the other, examining his make-up in the mirror before deciding with a sigh that it was ready. Two performances into the evening had made it clear that Victor would not be returning for the third week, enthusiastic strangers taking his and Chris’ place at the front table yet again.

 

It was disturbingly easy to actually feel annoyed at anyone who sat at that table, as though they were the reason Victor was not there. No matter how much they smiled, gawped and cheered, it was never enough.

 

He sighed, forcing himself to focus on the next performance. He and Sara had taken on extra slots to sing, often - though not always - without stripping, breaking up the usual performances. A few weeks of it had proven popular, allowing them to extend the performance slots slightly. The club was packed to the rafters, a recent article in the local paper advertising the club, complete with some pictures taken from Euphoria’s instagram page had led to queues of people hanging around before the club had even opened. Yuuri and Phichit had had to work out a new route to get in the back of the club to avoid the people waiting.

 

A knock at the door drew his attention.

 

“Come in,” he turned from the mirror to see who it was. Phichit should be on stage right now.

 

“Hi, Yuuri! Are you okay?” Yuuko walked in, sitting herself in the chair next to Yuuri.

 

“Yes, thanks. How are you? Any more plans for group performances?”

 

“I’m working on a few now that you mention it!” Yuuko grinned and winked. “Phichit tells me you’ve got a spot in a ballet show! Congratulations!”

 

“Thank you…” Yuuri fidgeted, looking down at the desk. “I’m okay to work here during rehearsals but once the show starts I will have to leave - the hours there are evenings as well and by the time I finish I don’t think I’ll be up to a second show. That’s at least four to six months away though, so you don’t have to rush to get someone else.”

 

“I thought as much,” Yuuko gave a small smile. “Of course you will always be welcome back once the show runs out or if you get any breaks and want a bit of extra cash. You’ve really helped this place grow. I’m sure your fan-base will miss you! I’m taking it you won’t be letting people know where you’re going?”

 

“Yeah, the company who are doing the show didn’t want it associated with burlesque so it’s all to stay as my secret identity. I’ll miss it though, it’s actually pretty fun now.” Yuuri smiled. “I never thought I’d say __that.__ ”

 

“Told you, once you get comfy you can strip at the drop of a hat!” She gave him a nudge. “And truth be told it never really goes away…”

 

“Did I ever tell you that my audition here was a mistake?” Yuuri said with a quiet laugh.

 

Yuuko blinked. “A mistake?”

 

“Phichit gave me the address and said it was an open audition, so I turned up thinking it was some kind of alternative ballet show and realised right before I came in what I was actually auditioning for…”

 

Yuuko started cackling. “Oh no, Yuuri! You never told me that! Why didn’t you leave?”

 

“Because then I thought I would look like an idiot so I just went for it - and then you told me I was actually good! When I got home I was ready to kill Phichit!” Yuuri started laughing along with Yuuko as he remembered back to that night, it had seemed like a lifetime ago.

 

Yuuko kept giggling. “Well that was a twist of fate, it worked out well for you I think!”

 

Yuuri nodded, smiling. “It gave me extra time to practice and extra stage experience which I think helped with the audition, so it worked out well. Plenty of time left yet though!”

 

“What are you going to do about your number one fan? I’m sure he’d be devastated if you left without telling him…” Yuuko raised an eyebrow. Apparently everyone else had been watching them too.

 

Yuuri paused. “He’s actually the clothing designer on the show I’m going to be in. I was going to talk to him if he came but…” He shrugged.

 

“I’m sure he’s busy, Chris is here a lot less too; only heavy workloads or excellent sex keeps that guy away.” Yuuko said matter-of-factly, nodding to emphasise her point. “He’s only here for the lessons he gives now, before he was always in on other days for practice or fun. He hasn’t even popped into the shows for a few weeks.”

 

“That is definitely not like Chris…” Yuuri chuckled. “He’s working on the show as well so I guess the directors are putting them under a lot of pressure.”

 

Yuuko nodded. “Chris has done this before so it’s not abnormal. If you wanna know anything about Victor, just come in on Thursdays when Chris has his lessons and ask, I’m sure he’ll give you an answer. I think he’s been enjoying the show you two put on as much as the rest of us. Honestly, I was considering putting Victor on the payroll considering how much you involve him in your performances…”

 

Yuuri felt his face warm up, he hadn’t realised it had been __that__  much of a thing in the club. “Yeah, Phichit said I should speak to Chris too. I’ll give it a few more weeks first, it feels weird asking Victor’s friend for his information, it feels like school again!”

 

“Nothing wrong with that. That’s what friends are for after all.” Yuuko gave him another smile. “Well, let’s get ready to go on, you’ll be up next!”

 

She walked Yuuri to backstage left him to do his warm-ups in a corner while Mila performed. Soon, Phichit was back on-stage, Mila bypassing Yuuri in her gown with a small thumbs up as she made her way to her dressing room. Yuuri stepped up, adjusting the oversized shirt he wore and strolled onto stage.

 

He stepped up to the microphone, giving a [quick nod](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_irlXkPRXcM&ytbChannel=Steve%20Anderson%20Music) to the band before taking a deep breath and swaying his hips gently with the beat.

 

“Don’t need my mammy, I don’t need a friend…”

 

The performance was an easy one, Yuuri was able to stroll around the stage at a relaxed pace as he sang. Eliciting a reaction from the audience was second nature now, he knew how to draw cheers with a small movement and practised expression. However, they were not as thrilling as the awed silence Victor often fell into, eyes never leaving Yuuri while he was on the stage, focused on every little move that he made…

 

He reached up and opened a button, smirking as cheers and whistles sounded in the room.

 

“I must have that man…” The relevance of the song to his life hadn’t hit him until now. Damnit.

 

He stood in place, slowly unbuttoning the shirt as he sang, giving each one a tug before unfastening to elicit a reaction from the audience. As the last button was opened, he pushed the shirt aside, revealing black nipple pasties and black panties with a body harness style garter belt. He held the pose, letting the audience enjoy the view before releasing the shirt, letting it fall open or close at will as he moved.

 

“When he is kissed…” Yuuri ran a finger over his lips, mimicking the movement he had shown Victor when talking about his lipstick - it always seemed to go down well. “But I’m afraid that he’s cooled off…”

 

A quick glance at Victor’s usual seat hammered the point home. The song had seemed like a good idea at the time…

 

Determined to push the thought from his mind, Yuuri stepped off the stage and strolled through the tables, people automatically shuffling their chairs out of the way as he approached to let him walk unheeded. He ran his fingers across people’s shoulders, never pausing for more than a second as he did a circuit of the room, glancing towards the back on the off chance Victor had been unable to get a seat. It had been busy after all.

 

He made his way back towards the stage as the finale of the song began to build, feeling irritation at himself begin to build. He winked at a regular as he passed, her face blushing as she beamed at him before turning to her friend and silently squealing.

 

He stepped up onto the stage, turning to face the audience. “I must have that,” he took a breath ready to draw the last word out, “man.”

 

He held his pose for a second, soaking in the adoration and then left the stage, heading back to his room to begin the process of removing Eros from his face. He briefly heard Phichit demand more applause for him as he left the backstage area.

 

He flopped into his chair. This Victor thing was beginning to be a problem. He was used to dancing through low moods, bad moods, no moods, every emotion he could muster but this was something else; it had stopped being fun. It had been okay at first when it was still terrifyingly thrilling and new, but then along came Victor and everything suddenly felt a lot more exciting, more possibilities were open and he knew Victor would always go along with it, always with those looks of awe and sometimes fear when he realised Yuuri was up to something…

 

He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind.

 

He just needed to pick something a little more upbeat, work on a new dance with a new surprise in it.

 

A surprise that would be wasted without Victor, his brain helpfully reminded him.

 

Yuuri made a frustrated noise in his throat.

 

Maybe he would talk to Chris after all. It had to be easier than this.

 

 

 

 

Victor leaned over his sketchbook, tapping the back of the pencil on his table as he scowled at the blank page. He took a sip of his now cold tea, not taking his eyes from the paper as though uninterrupted eye contact might force ideas from the depths of his mind and onto the page. Makkachin huffed, shuffling under the table and resting her head on his feet before relaxing again.

 

Victor dropped his head onto the sketchbook, banging it against the paper lightly.

 

He had heard of artists block, people whose ideas and inspirations dried up one day, sometimes to return weeks or months later, sometimes never to return at all. Victor had never encountered such an issue, the ability to design outfits had flowed naturally from him once he knew the story he was designing for. Shapes, colours, the story behind the character were all easy to figure out and design for.

 

Until now.

 

He had been given the details of the final casting of dancers. Yuuri sat among them; no surprise after his audition.

 

He had spent the better part of a week staring at his sketchbook, trying to find an idea to start from…

 

The blank page stared back, mockingly reflecting the emptiness of his inspiration back at him.

 

He understood now why Eros’ outfit was difficult to come by - he had no idea about the person behind the stage persona and usually he knew the characters he designed for from beginning to end. Finding out more about Eros had been his goal, both to help influence the outfit and more selfishly, to feed his own curiousity.

 

And maybe to sate the crush he had developed.

 

Finally lifting his eyes from the sketchbook, Victor looked ahead, thinking back to the Yuuri he had met in the store; cute, blushing Yuuri who always seemed to be in a world of his own whenever Victor arrived, who sometimes seemed to be showing all the right signs of someone interested and who then would almost seem like he was trying to escape. Then Eros, who had a talent for finding and exploiting his turn-ons with a casual smirk and wink and had focused on him with no pretence from day one; Victor hadn’t been aware of how sensitive his scalp was until Eros’ deft fingers found their way there.

 

With a sigh, he glanced at the clock. The club would be closing now and everyone would be going home. Yuuri would be getting changed in that room of his, removing that expensive lipstick…

 

The mental image of Yuuri running his finger across his lip popped into his mind. Victor forced it away.

 

He thought back to the Yuuri he had seen at the audition, he seemed more confident than Victor remembered from the store. Or being Eros had given him the ability to convincingly pretend to be confident. The two personalities seemed to meld perfectly on stage, natural talent and training topped off with a showmanship and confidence that according to Lilia’s notes, had not been there at a previous audition.

 

Victor put Eros and Shopboy Yuuri from his mind, focusing instead on the one he had seen in the audition. Still that edge of shyness, nervous energy still running through him but determination to do what he wanted to do. Enough that someone who had seemed so shy and skittish was able to become… well… Eros.

 

He began tapping his pencil again before sketching a base figure.

 

If he intended on being in the show, then any outfit he designed for Eros would soon be shelved as Yuuri moved onto Touch instead.

 

So he needed to design Yuuri an outfit.

 

He began drawing again, tuning out Makkachin’s gentle snores from below the table, ignoring the passage of time as an idea finally began to form on the page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting there! Slowly!
> 
> Feedback gives me life! If you are reading and enjoying please leave a comment to fuel me through my dissertation! I need all the life I can get!


	13. B is for Bolting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idiots try to talk.
> 
> It doesn't happen.
> 
> Good and Tired friends intervene.

Yuuri ran through a series of stretches, working his way through each muscle group alongside the other dancers and understudies. They had begun rehearsals earlier in the week in one of the studios in Baranovskaya School of Ballet and true to the rumours, Lilia and Yakov were demanding directors. The steps were complicated and neither of them nor the choreographer were hesitant in demanding repeats of sequences until the dancers were exhausted past anything they had experienced before. Yuuri’s past stamina saved him but even he felt the pain and lethargy in his muscles at the end of the day, wishing more than once that he was able to go back home to the onsen afterwards.

 

Two other danseurs stood with him, both as laid back as one could be in this position, a young Chinese man named Guang Hong and an American named Leo. The two seemed to know each other and had approached Yuuri on the first day as he stood to the side, quizzing him about his spins. The two had been in shows together before, though, like Yuuri, they had not yet suffered under Yakov and Lilia.

 

“That’s it for today everyone! Think about what we’ve covered today and I expect to see you ready for more rehearsals tomorrow!” Yakov clapped his hands to let everyone know they were dismissed and one by one, dancers began filing out of the door.

 

Yuuri turned to grab his stuff, ready to head to the changing room when a familiar figure entered the corner of his vision, silver hair standing out against the darker tones of Yakov and Lilia as they began to talk.

 

His stomach leapt into his throat, a quick glance confirming that Victor was indeed in the room.

 

He tried to remember his resolve to speak to Victor. Maybe he should do it now while still wearing ballet clothes, they looked a little better than his normal clothing at least…

 

Then again, that would involve awkwardly waiting around until Victor was finished talking to Yakov, if he got changed they could talk privately afterwards, without an audience of so-far nice but slightly terrifying bosses.

 

Making a dash for the changing rooms, Yuuri changed as fast as he could, waving a brief goodnight at Leo and Guang Hong before turning to go back to the studio. He repeated an apology and excuse over and over in his mind, trying to find a way to explain to Victor the ‘why’ without all the boring details of his anxiety issues…

 

Of course, Victor had seen him as Eros, would he even believe he had a proverbial bucket full of anxiety? And what if he didn’t believe him or what if he got angry. He knew Yakov and Lilia, what if he said something to them, what if they didn’t want to hire him after that…

 

There was already an understudy waiting to take his place should he be unable to perform for any reason. It was still early enough that they could find someone else easy enough…

 

The thought of this churned in his mind as he walked down the corridor, staring unseeing at the floor as he focused on this new thought, steps beginning to slow even as his breathing began to speed up.

 

If he told Victor and Victor was angry, if he lost this job…

 

He shook his head. If he lost this he would continue as Eros until a new opportunity arose.

 

Of course, then Victor would no longer come to the club, and without him the fun had gone, and if Yakov and Lilia didn’t want to hire him, his choice of work in this city would be a much smaller pool than before, and ballet was a small world…

 

Without realising, he had come to a stop, the corridor stretched out in front of him, door to the studio still open with the sound of voices drifting out. A gruff comment by Yakov followed by Victor’s laughter, genuine laughter that didn’t sound forced at all, like he was comfortable with Yakov, maybe he had even known him back when he danced…

 

He remained rooted to the spot, previous thoughts dashing through his mind again as he heard Victor bid goodnight to the directors, appearing in the hall a moment later. He pushed hair back from his face, sighing before turning to leave, stopping when he locked eyes with Yuuri.

 

He lifted his hand and waved, a small smile on his face as he approached.

 

Yuuri watched him approach, feeling his heart pounding in his throat, muscles going rigid as he awaited his fate.

 

“Congratulations, Yuuri. Your audition was wonderful…” Victor began, the usual bounce in his voice noticeably absent. “Not everyone gets Yakov and Lilia’s seal of approval at once.”

 

“T-thank you…” Victor had seen his audition, had enjoyed the dancing. A brief flash of warmth uncurled in Yuuri’s stomach for a moment before being doused with ice as he remembered the in-depth conversation they had had regarding his job.

 

Yuuri felt his breath hitch, trying to match his heart beat as it began pounding faster.

 

__He knew._ _

 

“Yuuri…” Victor looked off to the side, opening his mouth and stopping, brow furrowed as he seemed to be working out what to say, hand drifting up and pushing his hair away from his face. He took a breath and looked back at Yuuri, meeting his gaze head on. “Why didn’t you say anything? About the club… about… Eros?”

 

Yuuri opened his mouth, vocal cords seemingly replaced with the thundering of his heart. Thoughts frozen, none of his reasons or apologies from earlier coming to mind.

 

Yakov and Lilia stepped into the corridor behind Victor, talking amongst themselves.

 

Yuuri glanced at them, then back to Victor. He could hear blood rushing through his ears as his mind went blank, every nerve in his body screaming at him to move, to get away from the situation at hand. Victor stared for a moment, frown deepening, hand reaching out as he stepped forward.

 

“Yuuri, are you-”

 

“Sorry, I have to go, I have to be…somewhere…”

 

Yuuri turned, ignoring Victor as he called his name and ran, leaving the building behind, mind swimming in intangible thoughts as he kept running down the street, past his usual bus stop, tracking the route it took him towards his flat, trying to outrun the band of fear that gripped his chest, refusing to relinquish its hold for even a moment.

 

Eventually he began to slow down, lungs burning as they tried to inhale enough air to fuel the furious pace his heart was keeping. The band began loosening its grip, exhaustion taking over instead.

 

He came to a stop at the door of his apartment block, energy draining from him as he stepped inside and took the elevator to his floor, letting himself into the darkened apartment moments later. Phichit was out, probably at the club watching the others practice and working on his commentary.

 

He flopped onto the couch, leaving the lights off, the orange glow of the city casting a softened look to the edges and lines of the apartment.

 

His mind stayed mercifully silent as he finally gained his breath, muscles beginning to stiffen after the exertion of running after a day of rehearsals. He slipped off the couch and onto the floor, automatically going through stretches to ease the tension in his muscles in preparation for rehearsals the next day. The steady motions began to calm his mind again, allowing him to think once more, the exhaustion staving off any further panicking.

 

He swallowed, wondering what Victor had said to Yakov and Lilia after he had left. Had he told them what happened? Had they seen it?

 

What would happen tomorrow?

 

 

 

 

 

Victor sat by his phone, awaiting a response from Chris as he tried to work out what had happened. Yuuri had clearly been nervous, that much he could see, but the look on his face when Victor tried to speak to him about the club had taken him by surprise. Then the fearful glance at Yakov as he left the studio before bolting, ignoring Victor as he called after him.

 

He knew that Yuuri liked to keep his private life separate from the club. Maybe he had pushed it too much, or too suddenly without warning. Maybe he should have found another time…

 

His phone buzzed, alerting him to an incoming call. Victor grabbed the phone, accepting the call a moment later when he saw Chris’ name on the screen.

 

“Dare I ask what’s happened now?” Chris’ voice drifted over the phone line, Victor could picture the long suffering look on his face.

 

“I spoke to Yuuri…” Victor started.

 

“Am I to assume it didn’t go well?” A clinking in the background suggested Chris was making himself a drink.

 

“He ran away!”

 

“...Huh. Okay so I didn’t expect him to do that…” Chris hummed thoughtfully as he stirred whatever it was he was making.

 

“I said I’d seen his audition and that he did well and he looked a bit shocked, then I asked why he didn’t tell me and then he bolted…” Victor took a larger than necessary sip of his wine. “Do you think I crossed a boundary? Should I have just let him pretend?”

 

“Maybe a bit forward asking him straight out, though pretending isn’t going to do either of you any good…” Chris mused. “Do you want to come to the club and speak to him? I can ask him in advance and then maybe he’ll be prepared.”

 

“I don’t want to upset him at work though. If he has to get a persona together I don’t want to ruin it for him…. How are they even the same person, Chris?”

 

“We’ve asked ourselves that very question several times, my friend. I’ll give him your work address, tell him when you’re likely to be there and let him come to you when he wants to talk. He knows you know, so maybe let him open the conversation this time.”

 

“Do you think he’ll come? What if he just doesn’t want to see me?” Victor recalled the look on Yuuri’s face from earlier that evening.

 

“I think he’ll feel guilty enough that he will. As to where you go from there… that’s on you two.”Chris replied.

 

Victor pouted, he didn’t particularly want Yuuri to speak to him out of feelings of guilt alone.

 

“Okay, do that. Tell him I’ll stay away from the club for now, I don’t want to upset him.” Decision made. Done.

 

“Will do, I’ll speak to him after the show tomorrow.” Chris sipped his drink. “Anything else you specifically want me to tell him?”

 

“Can you tell him I just want to talk?”

 

“Well I wasn’t going to tell him that you wanted him bent over your office desk now, was I?” A teasing note entered Chris’ voice.

 

“Chris!”

 

“What? We’ve all seen the way you stare at his ass…”

 

Victor face palmed. Maybe letting Chris pass the message on was not a great idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuuri touched up his make-up, turning his head left and right as he made sure everything was still in place for the final performance of the evening. The performances had been repeats of others, most popular ones picked out for re-showing. The new audiences being brought in by word of mouth meant they were able to re-use old performances alongside their new ones, taking some of the strain off Yuuri now that his time was much more focused on rehearsals.

 

He had gone back the next day and nothing had been said by Yakov or Lilia and the days had continued as normal. Victor hadn’t returned either. It was almost as though nothing had happened.

 

He sighed. Victor definitely wouldn’t be coming to the club now, and might not show up at rehearsals anymore. In retrospect, he could see Victor hadn’t been angry, had been confused more than anything, but at the time…

 

He shook his head. He was sure he could find where Victor worked by searching him up via the internet - a popular designer for the ballet world wouldn’t hide his details. Maybe he should write a letter explaining himself…

 

“Yuuri, you ready?” Phichit strolled in. “Mila just went on so you’re almost up! You okay?”

 

“Yeah…” Yuuri stood and followed Phichit to the backstage area.

 

“Still beating yourself up over the other day?” Phichit’s tone suggested it was more a statement than a question.

 

Yuuri didn’t say anything

 

“What’s done is done, all you can do now is speak to him. Try asking Chris, he’s here tonight. Maybe he can point you in the right direction. Want me to speak to him?”

 

Yuuri shook his head. “No, just ask him to come by after the show, please.”

 

“Done!” Mila’s music began winding towards its end. Phichit patted Yuuri on the shoulder and positioned himself ready to take the stage.

 

Yuuri took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing his thoughts from his mind for the final time that night. Time to work.

 

He smiled at Mila as she left the stage, a bright grin on her face as she was wrapped in a gown as she left the stage, giving Yuuri the thumbs up before leaving to go back to her changing room.

 

“Okay ladies and gentlemen, give another huge cheer for our dazzling diamond Ruby Rum!” Phichit paused to allow for further applause. “And now, it’s gonna be getting hot in here but only one of us will be taking off our clothes!” Applause and groans. “Everyone, let me hear you give it up for Eros!”

 

As Phichit left the stage, giving Yuuri another pat on the shoulder for good luck. He took one last deep breath before stepping onto the stage to the sound of a full house of applause.

 

[The music ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD6sMFyUtNk)was atmospheric, drawing Yuuri and the audience in, allowing him to show off the new strength and flexibility he had gained through training under Yakov and Lilia. He had picked a pair of flared dance trousers that added a little extra drama to his movements alongside a black mesh top with a sequin design on the front designed to mostly cover the chest, a black zip on the front holding it together. The outfit was easy enough to remove with the usual stockings underneath.

 

Victor’s table was occupied by a couple of young men who had been by the club a few times now; Yuuri recognised several of the regulars amongst the influx of new faces that changed from week to week. He winked at them as he went by, blushes appearing on both of their cheeks. He held back a sigh as he came to a stop and began tugging on his gloves, one finger at a time until it slid smoothly from his hand, quickly followed by the second.

 

The song didn’t give him any of the usual strong beats to accentuate removal of clothing, allowing the movements to flow more along the lines of ballet than burlesque. Something he was sure would be lost on the audience, but Victor would have noticed…

 

He arched his leg behind him and reached over his head, nudging his shoe off, tossing it away before repeating with the other one, letting the audience admire his flexibility - training had made this move easier, even the short term training under Yakov and Lilia was having an effect. He hooked a finger in the round pull of the zipper, rolling his hips as he lifted his eyebrows, spurring the audience into cheering for the next item of clothing. In one smooth pull the zipper opened and unclipped, exposing his chest briefly. Pulling it closed with his hands, he turned his back on the audience and began letting it slide from his shoulders, the weight of the sequins pulling it down easily. He caught it on his elbows for a moment, glancing over his shoulder to incite further applause before letting it drop from one arm and using the other to throw it away.

 

Next came the trousers, he unfastened the button and the zipper, easing the trousers down just enough before turning sideways and lowering himself onto his knees. He leaned back, letting his back come into contact with the stage before straightening his legs and raising his hips, inching the trousers down, exposing the skin and then the suspenders. With a final push they dropped over his knees to pool around his feet, cheers from the audience following the move. Letting his hips drop down and legs straighten out, he kicked the trousers away with a small flick before rolling onto his stomach, lifting his butt into the air first as he moved to all fours and then moved back into a kneeling position.

 

He ran his hands over his sides, the muscles definitely more visible than they had been previously - Phichit had prodded and commented several times in the changing room, all the extra practice alone and in rehearsals was showing - and down his thighs, releasing the suspender clips and dipping his fingers below the hem of the material momentarily before pulling up to his hips. Locking eyes with one of the young men in front, he ran his hands behind, lowering his eyelids as he exaggerated the swell of his butt before dipping down and releasing the back clasps.

 

Standing, he turned his back on the audience once again and reaching behind slid his hands under the edges of the suspenders, slowly pushing them down as he bent further and further over. Phichit had demanded free drinks and meals for the next month after being forced to assure Yuuri over and over again that if he bent in half the audience __definitely__ couldn’t see anything between his butt cheeks except the g-string - this came with several demonstrations and Phichit eventually taking a photo complete with flash and zoom to prove his point.

 

Phichit was a good friend, really.

 

The stockings slid down his legs and to his feet, he caught one in his hand, falling on his usual move of stretching it behind and overhead to flick it off, tossing it to the back of the stage. The next one followed moments later which he tossed at the men on the table in front of him as the music began to wind towards the ending. A series of relaxed turns followed the music to the end, Yuuri finally finishing in a ballet position, one arm raised above him, another at chest level and feet in fourth position as he turned sideways to the audience, giving them one last view of his profile before he darted from the stage.

 

Yuuri stepped off the stage to applause, giving a smirk and a wave as he left, taking the robe handed to him backstage with a small smile as he made his way back to his changing room.

 

Landing in the dressing chair with a thud, he began removing the make up, rubbing at his eyes to clean the eyeliner and mascara away. Hopefully Phichit had managed to get a hold of Chris…

 

A knock at the door broke Yuuri from his reverie.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Evening, Yuuri,” replied a familiar voice.

 

“Come in…” Yuuri swiped the worst of the make-up away and turned to welcome Chris in. Chris had seen them all in various stages of make-up, a little smudged panda-style eyeliner wouldn’t phase him.

 

Chris sat down in the spare chair after a gesture by Yuuri.

 

“So I’m sure we both want to discuss the same thing…”

 

Yuuri nodded. “I just-”

 

Chris held up his hand, offering a piece of paper to Yuuri with the other. “I’m not judging you or mad at you, I’m just here to pass a message along. Victor wants to talk to you, he’s not angry so don’t worry about that, he just wants some answers. So he asked me to give you his work details and to say he won’t come back until after you’ve spoken. He doesn’t want to put you off at work.”

 

“Thank you…” Yuuri took the slip of paper offered by Chris. “He’s really not angry?”

 

“He was a bit, at first, but mostly he’s just a confused idiot. Please speak to him and put all of us out of our misery.”

 

“He just wants to talk about it?” Yuuri wanted to be sure. It seemed too good to be true.

 

“I mean, he probably wouldn’t mind bending you over his desk but maybe save that for a second date…” Chris laughed as Yuuri’s face flushed, skin burning at the suggestion. “How are you so easy to embarrass after all this time. Phichit wasn’t the only one who heard your Russian Red comments by the way, don’t play shy with me. Kudos for that, by the way.” Chris’ eyes twinkled with amusement.

 

Yuuri was sure he was going to burst a blood vessel somewhere if anymore heat rushed to his face.

 

“Anyway, it’s up to you but, just get it over and done with. And maybe go on a normal date together - I think you’d actually get along well.” Chris patted Yuuri on the shoulder and left with a wink, coming to a pause in the doorway as he bumped into Phichit.

 

“Now it’s your turn, don’t let me down!” Chris waved and left before Phichit could respond. Phichit watched him go for a moment, then closed the door behind him.

 

“What’d he say?”

 

Yuuri held up the piece of paper. “Gave me Victor’s work address and phone number and told me to speak to him. He said Victor wouldn’t come back here until we’d spoken, and that he wasn’t mad and just wanted to talk…”

 

“Then I vote we spend the next few days working out what you’re gonna say and then you call him…or write him a letter… or hell just surprise him at work.”

 

“I’ll just end up tongue tied again though, as soon as he speaks… Maybe a letter would be better…”

 

“Or do a dance just for him, you manage to connect with him pretty well when you do that!”

 

“I think I send a slightly different message when I dance here, Phichit…”

 

“The Carol of the Bells one was pretty heavy ballet inspired despite the ending bit, maybe try something like that? More pretty and emotional instead of outright sexual…” Phichit looked thoughtful as he removed the jacket, throwing it over the back of the spare chair.

 

“Maybe…” Yuuri resumed removing his make-up, mind trying to come up with a routine. It still needed to be a show, and a surprise for Victor…

 

He sighed.

 

A busy week lay ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blocked again! Well it HAS to happen next chapter. Only one more (long ass) chapter after this!
> 
> Poor Phichit. Well, maybe not so poor, IDK I wouldn't complain if I were in his shoes....
> 
> Comments give me life and get me through dissertations, illness and long work weeks! If you are enjoying, please consider leaving a comment!
> 
> Now what does Yuuri have planned...


	14. B is for Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY.

Victor sat in his office frowning as he slowly worked his way through an alarmingly sized stack of post that had been congregating on his desk for over a week now. Georgi had finally insisted he stay in his office and not leave his desk until he had finally sorted his way through, tea being delivered periodically as his progress was assessed. Yuuri’s outfit had been distracting him but it seemed even Georgi thought that enough was enough.

 

He was now officially a charity case.

 

Victor sighed as he turfed another invoice onto a pile to be actioned by his accountant and filed away. The pile was full of invoices, notices of payment received, payments sent, advertisements, work requests, estimates requested for costumes, notice of repairs required and various other business communications. Soon, the pile began to shrink while further piles began to appear to be filed away or dealt with later.

 

He picked up a hand written envelope, cutting along the seam before pulling the letter free. Hand written letters often tended to be service enquiries, but even now most of those came through email, though individuals like Yakov and Lilia still seemed to prefer snail mail.

 

He unfolded the letter, skimming over the words briefly, eyes widening as the information sunk in.

 

__To Victor,_ _

__

__Chris passed your message along and I would also like to talk._ _

__

__Please come to the show this Saturday, I_ _ __’m often better at saying things through dance than I am in person - as you probably noticed - so hopefully there will be no confusion this time._ _

__

__I hope to see you there._ _

__

__Yuuri Katsuki_ _

 

Victor swallowed. Yuuri wanted to talk to him and wanted him to come back to the club.

 

He reread the lines over and over again, trying to find any hidden meanings in the text. He reached for the office phone and hit speed dial.

 

“Hello, Royal Fabrics, how may I help you today?” Chris’ voice drifted over the phone, polite and friendly, a bizarre change from the borderline seductive tones he usually used. Victor’s mind blanked momentarily in the confusion, a quick shake of his head clarifying his thoughts again. There were more important things to consider.

 

“Chris? I got a letter from Yuuri!”

 

“Good news I hope? Does he want to talk?” Chris’ usual tone slid into place as he realised who he was speaking to.

 

“Yes, he asked me to go to the club this Saturday and said we can talk then and that he was better at saying things through dance than talking…” Victor held the letter in his hand, reading over the words once again as he spoke.

 

“That sounds about right. So you get a performance dedicated to you. Want me to sit with you?”

 

“No, thank you…I think I need to go by myself for this…” It felt wrong to be sat with Chris when Yuuri was dedicating something to him.

 

“I’ll sit myself in a corner out of the way,” Chris replied, amused lilt to his voice. “I’m not missing this for the world. Hopefully both of you will finally sort this out, though the mutual displays of obliviousness will be missed by us all.” He gave a dramatic sigh.

 

“What am I going to wear…” The outfit had to be right - he had to look his best.

 

“Something easy to rip off.” Chris suggested.

 

Victor snorted.

 

“Hey, you know what my suggestions are going to be when you ask me questions like that… You’ll thank me later if you listen!”

 

“Yeah, yeah…” Chris laughed at the reply as Victor felt a small smile forming on his face.

 

Saturday.

 

 

 

Yuuri stood in the living room, slowly wind milling his arms as he racked his brains for ideas for a routine for that weekend. His stomach grumbled as the scent of spices drifted from the kitchen, Phichit assigned to cooking while Yuuri moved around the living room, trying to kick start an idea from a movement or tune he had heard.

 

They had scoured the internet for burlesque songs, suggestions from the others at the club all written down but none suited what he wanted. The song needed to be less __obvious,__ with a message that wasn’t a direct proposition for sex, at least, not for now…

 

He shook his head, banishing the thoughts and trying to focus on the matter at hand.

 

Phichit had run out of song suggestions, Yuuri not entirely happy with any of them, a line somewhere was wrong, or the tone of the song was not quite what he wanted.

 

He turned to stare at the TV, pulling his arms across his chest as he stretched, watching the music videos play.

 

As a song came on, he recognised the opening music, a cute song that might work if he could find another version…

 

As the story in the video played out, Yuuri felt a grin forming on his face.

 

“Phichit! I’ve got it!” Phichit’s head appeared around the door frame.  
  
Phichit paused, tilting his head as he listened. “This song?”

 

“Yes! But listen…”

 

Phichit nodded as Yuuri described his idea, grin growing wider as they began building on ideas for the performance, panicking moments later as they remembered that food was still cooking.

 

“Now all that’s left is to hope he comes!” Yuuri said, salvaging the vegetables from the wok.

 

 

 

Victor stood towards the back of the club, the tables all taken by the time he had arrived, watching as Bella Ti Amo left the stage with a big smile and a wave, nipple tassels jumping as she skipped away, replaced almost immediately by Arthur - Phichit - with his follow up commentary. Victor clapped dutifully - she was a great performer and deserved the praise after all.

 

He slipped his hand into his pocket, rubbing the corner of the letter between his thumb and finger, edges softened from constant folding and refolding as Victor read it over and over again. Yuuri had performed several familiar routines already - everything Victor knew hadn’t dampened his attraction in any manner - or Yuuri’s ability to enthrall the audience. The training from Yakov and Lilia had begin to alter his performances, more classical ballet movements sneaking in, affecting the way he held his hands as he posed, how his feet rested, the lines of his body seemingly stretching forever as they rolled over every curve and edge.

 

Yuuri had continued to focus on those at the front as per his usual style - Victor had felt the stirrings of jealousy as he watched Yuuri point his foot and allow a man sat near the stage to remove a stocking for him. To Victor’s delight, he had made a bumble of it, nerves clearly taking over as Yuuri watched him closely, a small smirk on his face…

 

He blinked as the audience began cheering again as Phichit left the stage. Victor began clapping again, waiting for Yuuri to reappear. Yuuri had said he had something for him to see but Victor wasn’t sure what yet - he hoped the last performance for the evening would make sense because any message Yuuri was trying to send was not getting through so far.

 

[Quiet piano](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MiiiMWGAjQ&ytbChannel=jenny%20wylder) music fluttered through the air as Yuuri appeared, wearing almost too small denim shorts - they definitely rode a little higher than public decency dictated -  and a white tank top, a pink suspender belt visible through the thin fabric, holding up a pair of stockings with a small piece of paper tucked into the hem, held in place by the suspender clip, outfit finished off by a pair of trainers. Probably the most casual look he had ever seen Yuuri in at the club, though his make-up was perfectly in place as always.

 

“I threw a wish in the well…” Yuuri mimed along to the song, coming to a stop in the middle of the stage and peering into the audience, hand raised to cover his eyes, other hand resting on his hip. Victor had the distinct feeling he was being searched for.

 

Yuuri came to a stop, seeming to focus on Victor from the other end of the club, a small smile forming on his face. Victor wondered briefly if he wore contact lenses when performing.

 

As the music picked up, Yuuri began swaying his hips, smile remaining on his face, turning briefly so the audience could enjoy the view of his rear before turning back.

 

“Hey, I just met you…” Victor felt a chuckle well up in his throat despite himself. Of all the cheesy songs to speak to him with…

 

Yuuri dramatically toed his trainers off, kicking them off towards the back of the stage and picking up a spray bottle and a cloth that sat by the stairs before hopping elegantly from the stage and wandering to the table Victor and Chris usually sat. A man and woman sat there now, both looking elated as Yuuri got them to pick their drinks and phones up and began dramatically cleaning their table, bending unnecessarily to wipe the surface, providing the couple and anyone sat near them a view down his top while those behind had an even better view…

 

Satisfied that the table was clean, Yuuri strutted across to one of the booths repeating the same process, climbing onto the table on hands and knees as he cleaned the full surface, the group of young men and women looking like all their dreams had come true, one of the men, blonde hair accented by a bright red streak spilled some of his drink over himself as he watched in awe - eyes and mouth wide as he openly gawped; Victor knew how he felt. Victor was sure Yuuri was arching his back on purpose - that or Yakov’s training had worked Yuuri’s glutes even more…

 

Yuuri moved his hips in time with the music as he cleaned, before stretching up, top riding up and exposing a little of his stomach.

 

Victor swallowed, unable to take his eyes away.

 

Damnit. So much for an adult discussion.

 

Yuuri slid off the table and cast a glance around before starting on a new group of tables where a hen party sat. After the first table, the cloth didn’t seem to be working anymore now that it was logged with water. Frowning, Yuuri tossed it back to the stage and sighed. With a shrug he reached for the top, sliding it over his head as the audience began whooping and applauding, skin glistening in the lights of the club. Some happy squeals escaped the hen party as he began using his top to wipe the tables down. Once again on all fours, he stretched, shoulders dropping lower as he reached, butt now poised in the air.

 

He saw the bride to be say something to Yuuri, who laughed as he mimed along to the song, nodding as he wiped. The woman reached up and gave his butt a quick squeeze, snatching her hand back and saying something to Yuuri who grinned and nodded.

 

Apparently satisfied with the state of the tables, Yuuri sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the tables and climbing off again with a little wave at the party.

He wandered past several tables, apparently inspecting the surfaces, giving the people sat there little smirks, winks and shoulder squeezes as he walked by. Victor realised with a start that Yuuri was working his way towards him; he had never come this far away from the stage before.

 

Soon the shirt was also water-logged, so Yuuri tossed it onto the bar and climbed onto it afterwards. He held his arms up in a shrug, asking the audience to tell him what to do now, then questioningly gesturing at his shorts. The whooping and cheering was his reply as he reached for the button, flicking up open and lowering the zip dramatically, turning as an instrumental section kicked in and began swaying his hips as he edged the shorts down, revealing the g-string below as he let the shorts drop to his feet.

 

He stepped out of them, climbing gracefully down from the bar and picking the shorts up in one hand as the lyrics began again.

 

“Hey!” He pointed at Victor as he strode towards him. “I just met you…”

 

Yuuri mimed convincingly and despite everything Victor could feel colour rushing to his cheeks.

 

“And this is crazy… but here’s my number,” Yuuri pulled the piece of paper from his stocking and slipped it into Victor’s jacket pocket before patting him on the cheek. “So call me maybe?”

 

Victor felt himself grin, a laugh bursting out seconds later, Yuuri smiling beautifully at him in response before he turned, the music speeding up again as he made his way back to the stage, taking small swipes at peoples tables as he passed them, finally hopping onto the stage in an ending pose, grinning and laughing a little as the audience cheered and applauded.

 

He vanished off the stage a moment later, Phichit taking over instantly.

 

“Another round of applause for Eros! He can’t clean your filthy minds but he can at least make sure your tables are clean! Don’t get used to that level of service here though…”

 

Victor unfolded the small piece of paper Yuuri had given him, turning Phichit out and very aware of several people nearby staring at him curiously.

 

“Meet me backstage!” handwritten in very tidy writing. After that Victor would have to.

 

Couldn’t call Yuuri without a phone number after all.

 

 

 

 

Yuuri washed his make-up off, determined to scrub all traces of his stage persona off for this. He would do this properly face-to-face and hopefully Victor would want to try and start again. If not…

 

Yuuri shook his head to try and clear the thoughts that kept trying to sneak in. Victor had smiled and laughed when he approached him, Phichit had been in to reinforce that idea after JJ went on stage, giving one last pep talk before leaving. Yuuri pulled on his normal jeans and a t-shirt, followed by his glasses moments later, better to let Victor see him normally for this - time to be completely honest.

 

He took a deep breath as JJ entered his dressing room, the door opening and closing, his humming carrying down the small corridor.

 

The show was finished, which meant soon…

 

He heard more footsteps in the corridor, followed by a hesitant knock.

 

“Come in…”

 

The door opened and Victor entered the room, a small, unsure smile on his face, mirroring the one Yuuri could feel on his face. He closed the door behind him and sat in the chair opposite Yuuri’s.

 

An awkward silence filled the room before they both opened their mouths to speak.

 

“I-” they both said at the same time, stopping and murmuring for the other person to go first.

 

An awkward giggle surfaced between them before Victor signed zipping his mouth shut, putting his hands in his lap and watching Yuuri.

 

“I…” Yuuri tried to recall all the lines he had rehearsed, his mind now blank. Brow furrowing, he sighed before reaching a hand out to shake Victor’s.

 

“Hi, I’m Yuuri Katsuki, I do ballet, used to work in a shop to pay the bills but now work in a cabaret club,” he took a breath, “and I’m sorry for lying to you, it wasn’t malicious at all.” Yuuri nodded as he finished.

 

Victor nodded in return, a small smile on his face. “And I’m Victor Nikiforov, ballet costume designer and I believe you. Is it okay if I ask you some questions?”

 

Yuuri felt some of the tension seep from his shoulders, though some still remained. He nodded.

 

“I understand why you didn’t want to broadcast your identity to people you didn’t know… but singling me out…”

 

“Was the performance not enough of an answer?” Yuuri asked, a small smile on his face.

 

“Well I don’t have your number yet,” Victor replied, smile widening. “It could all have been a ruse.”

 

“Well it wasn’t, so here…” Yuuri scribbled his number down on a piece of paper and handed it to Victor.

 

“Now I feel better,” Victor pocketed the number, patting it. “How long?”

 

Yuuri could feel his face flush. “Since last spring when you first came in and you started quizzing me about the nutritional value of fresh fruit versus packaged… I could barely focus on anything you were saying…”

 

Victor laughed then, a delighted sound that warmed Yuuri through, melting the rest of the tension from his body. “Aah I can beat that, it was since I walked in one night, after staying at work late. I went to get some groceries and there you were, dancing your way across the aisle while you thought no one was looking. You looked so cute and you were so talented! I came back again a lot after that to try and see you… and since you were always in the same section that conversation was all I could think of to get you talking.”

 

“So you’re a stalker is what you’re saying?” Yuuri replied, trying to keep a smile from his lips, a failed attempt once Victor pouted at him.

 

“I just wanted to see the cute guy again, even though he seemed like he didn’t want to talk to me sometimes…”

 

“I did want to talk to you, you were just…overwhelming. You waltz in looking like you stepped out of a magazine while I’m in a second hand shop uniform with messy hair, glasses and smelling vaguely of root vegetables!” Yuuri stifled a giggle, the pout disappearing from Victor’s face with the description.

 

“I happened to enjoy the way you looked and smelled, thank you,” Victor said haughtily.

 

“So you’d rather that over this place then?” Yuuri’s eyebrows raised in challenge.

 

“Well your Eros persona certainly had its own perks…”

 

Yuuri snorted. “That’d be my butt.”

 

Victor laughed. “Honestly, have you seen it though?”

 

“You have no idea…” Yuuri said, flashing back to the picture Phichit had taken that Yuuri promptly forced him to delete. Victor gave him a confused look which Yuuri waved away. “I’ll explain another time…”

 

“One more question, why did you run away the other day?”

 

“Well…” Yuuri wondered how to phrase it. “Worst case scenarios happened in my mind, I thought if you knew you might be angry, might tell Yakov who might fire me… Which thinking logically afterwards I knew you wouldn’t do but,” Yuuri shrugged, “anxiety I guess, once it kicks in its hard not to believe it. It used to affect me really badly before performances and auditions, hence why I was working in a shop, but doing this has helped me get over it to a certain extent…”

 

Yuuri decided letting Victor know he was also an influencing factor could wait.

 

Victor nodded. “Well I’m glad you don’t think that badly of me really…”

 

They fell into another awkward silence, less painful than the first but still awkward.

 

“Well, now that you have my number… do you want to go on a date? We can get a drink and talk awkwardly about the weather, our families, education, how we ended up here…” Yuuri started, feeling the sentence start to run away with itself.

 

“I have another suggestion - though I am also more than happy to take you up on your offer,” Victor held a finger to his mouth, dropping it as he continued to speak. “You can come to my office and get an exclusive preview of your outfit. It took me forever but I finally got it done. Even Yakov hasn’t seen it yet.”

 

“Are you allowed to do that?” Yuuri could feel a tingle of excitement twisting in his stomach.

 

“It’s my property, my design…I think so,” Victor grinned. “Is that a yes?”

 

“What, now?”

 

Victor glanced at his watch. “You’re right, it is late so I understand if you don’t want to. But if you want peace and quiet away from my co-workers then this is the best time!”

 

Yuuri thought it over. Normally he’d say no and wait until another time, but this had been going on long enough…

 

He swallowed and nodded, feeling his face set in determination. “Okay.”

 

“Then let’s go!” Yuuri felt his face melt into a smile as Victor’s heart-smile returned as he stood, holding out a hand for Yuuri to take.

 

“Just let me tell Phichit so he knows to go home without me…” Yuuri said.

 

“I thought you two were dating that day I met you in the mall,” Victor said.

 

“Me and Phichit? I mean people have made the joke but no, we know too much about each other I think…” Yuuri chuckled.

 

“Same with me and Chris I think,” Victor replied thoughtfully, thinking back to all the conversations he had had with Chris over the years. “We’ve both seen too much.”

 

“I don’t think it’s possible to be friends with Chris and not know too much about him,” Yuuri replied. He knew a startling amount of information about Chris’ sex life from various discussions. He had also learned a lot of useful information so he wasn’t intending on complaining about it __too__  much.

 

Victor laughed and nodded. “That’s true. It doesn’t seem to affect his relationships though…”

 

Yuuri led Victor into the main corridor, promising that he would be back once he spoke to Phichit. Closing the side door he knocked on Mila and Sara’s room. Their eager faces alongside Phichit’s were waiting eagerly on the other side.

 

“I’m going to see my outfit for the show, Victor invited me… Are you okay going home on your own Phichit?”

 

“As if I would even say no at this point!” Phichit replied. “Go make your dreams come true!”

 

“Fucking finally!” Mila said, loud enough for Sara and Yuuri to shush her in case Victor heard.

 

“Good luck, Yuuri! Let us know how it goes!”

 

“I’ll message you when I get in, send me a message when you’re coming home,” Phichit paused before a slightly wicked grin took over his face. “ _ _If__  you plan on coming home tonight that is…”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri felt his face flushing as he gave his friend a shove.

 

JJ’s door opened to the side, the other man sticking his head out. “Good luck, Yuuri! Show him what he’s been missing!” A wink and a thumbs up caused Yuuri to blush even more.

 

“I’m leaving, see you tomorrow!” Yuuri hurried out, hearing Mila and Phichit chuckling behind him, Sara shushing them both.

 

The amusement written on Victor’s face as he left the changing room corridor told Yuuri he had heard most of what had been said. The blush spread to his ears.

 

“Let’s call a cab, it’ll be faster than the bus.”

 

“We need to go out back though, people wait out front after shows now and they’ll still be there at this time…” Yuuri tugged Victor through the back door to the road behind waving a taxi down. They climbed in, Victor giving the address of his work to the driver and then both sat back.

 

“So how many outfits have you completed?” Yuuri asked, curious to know more about the work.

 

“Just yours, the two characters - the man and woman - you interact with have designs based around yours that are only just now being put together. Yours is the only completed one. I thought I’d do it in place of the other one I promised you since you’ll be changing careers soon…”

 

Yuuri nodded, warmth spreading through him. “How do you know Yakov will be okay with the designs though?”

 

“I already ran sketches past him, he knows how I plan on linking all the couples together through their outfits.” Victor looked thoughtful. “He trusts me to do a good job with them at this point, since we’ve worked together several times now.”

 

“How long will it take to design the rest?”

 

“Not long, now that I have a base design idea to work around it’s just focusing on colour schemes and things like that… It was just trying to design yours that proved to be the difficult one.” Victor’s finger had drifted up to his lip, a small frown on his face.

 

“Mine?”

 

“Well, I got to look at everyone’s portfolios beforehand and was given a description of the characters they were going to play and their relationships with others. So my idea was to design them around that, however, I could only focus on one person,” Victor trailed his gaze from the window ahead of them, focusing pointedly on Yuuri, “and trying to understand that person proved to be difficult at the time. I actually encountered artist block for the first time in my life!”

 

“How did you get past that?” Yuuri swallowed. He hadn’t intended to affect Victor’s work…

 

“Well, I kept coming back to the two sides I knew… you in the store and you on stage… which were two complete opposites and it was hard to match them into one cohesive idea. Then I thought of you at the audition where you had mingled the two perfectly… in a Safe for Yakov and Lilia manner of course…”

 

Yuuri nodded. “I think it’s easier to get into that head space now…” he paused, wondering if it would be weird to tell Victor that he had been dancing for him. Maybe a little.

 

“Well it worked, it was a wonderful audition. You are a talented dancer, Yuuri.” Yuuri shivered at the sound of his name spoken in hushed tones as Victor leaned towards him, the last sentence murmured into his ear.

 

Victor pulled away again as the taxi slowed, paying the driver before Yuuri could protest and leading him towards a store front. The window display featured silhouettes of ballet dancers, a woman one side and a man the other, framing the name of the business.

 

Victor unlocked the door, switching the lights on and disabling the alarm. He locked the door behind them to keep any late night wanderers out.

 

The reception area was spacious with two small, pale couches perched at right angles around a coffee table with several portfolios piled neatly at one side for perusal.

 

“New people tend to have a consultation in here, Yakov just goes straight into the design room out back,” Victor gestured through a door, leading Yuuri into another larger room.

 

As the lights came on, Yuuri squinted. They were much brighter than the reception ones, likely for clarity of working. There were three long tables at one end with a variety of tools designed for cutting and measuring, while other smaller tables were perched with sewing machines along the wall while other wall space was taken with several rolls of fabric, boxes upon boxes stacked on top of each other and several rails with costumes hanging from them in varying states of disrepair and several tailors dummys parked in a corner.

 

Close to what Yuuri assumed was an office, stood a tailors dummy with what he assumed was his outfit…

 

Victor strolled over to it, pulling the dummy away from the wall so it could be inspected from all angles. A dark blue material covered the dummy, long sleeves and a v-neck cut, designed to look like a more casual outfit; there were no princes or pirates in this play so the outfits were more casual than some of the others but Victor seemed to have pushed the idea of casual to it’s limits.

 

A beige mesh cut out flared out from the waist, trailing around to the back where it spread, showing a large portion of his back and highlighting the deep red decoration that followed his spine, flaring out at regular intervals. The mesh was bordered by a shiny black material, contrasting it with the blue of the rest of the outfit. Finally, diamantes were scattered precisely across the shoulders front and back, glittering brightly under the fluorescent lights as Yuuri moved around it.

 

“The blue was what reminded me of you normally…” Victor reached up and lightly poked the bridge of Yuuri’s glasses. “Then this bit, may have been inspired by Eros… Chris gave me so many looks when I took a tube of Russian Red into his shop and demanded a material in the exact same colour… I accentuated it with this green so as not to be __too__  obvious.” Victor ran his hands over the outfit, pointing out the parts are he discussed them, settling on the dummy’s waist as he moved it around to let Yuuri study it further. Yuuri remembered how they had felt on his waist…

 

“It’s…it’s really beautiful…” Yuuri wasn’t sure what to say. This has been inspired by him at his audition? This was apparently how Victor saw him?

 

“It is,” Victor gazed at him as he spoke, a soft smile on his face. “Your female counterpart will have the red and diamantes mixed into her costume while the man will have the green and diamantes in his. Two of the other outfits will have ribbon in theirs - anyone who has a relationship in this will be linked costume wise. The mesh is just yours though.”

 

Yuuri nodded, swallowing hard.

 

“Actually, while you’re here, you might as well try it on, then I can make any adjustments on Monday…”

 

Before Yuuri could protest, Victor was carefully removing the outfit from the dummy and then waiting with it in his hands for Yuuri to remove his jacket. As he laid it on the table, he glanced down at his t-shirt, realising it too would have to be removed to try the tight top on if Victor wanted accurate measurements…

 

Feeling his face begin to colour again, Yuuri averted his eyes and took his t-shirt off, taking the top from Victor almost immediately, not daring to look him in the eyes.

 

“Honestly Yuuri, I saw you in nothing but a g-string only an hour or so ago…” Victor sounded amused.

 

“That was different…” Yuuri mumbled as he pulled the top on. The material stretched easily but clung well once it was in place. He looked at Victor who seemed to be trailing his eyes along the seams of the outfit, looking for any imperfections, a hint of amusement still sparkling in them. Without a word he grabbed a set of needles from the table nearby and made a few adjustments to the shoulders.

 

“A good fit even if I do say so myself, I only need to trim the shoulders down slightly. Do you mind if I take the rest of your measurements while you’re here? I haven’t constructed the pants yet…”

 

Yuuri nodded.

 

“Do you mind just lowering your jeans a little? Just so I can get to your hips…” Victor’s voice was quiet in the large room, professional but unsure.

 

Yuuri nodded again, mouth dry as he suddenly realised how close Victor was. He unfastened the button and zipper, edging the jeans down as his face began to heat up. Victor’s hands slid around him, the cool surface of the tape being pulled snug against him moments later. Victor released the tape, scribbling a number on a piece of paper before teasing the jeans down a bit more.

 

“Sorry, just need the seat measurement…” Victor murmured, looking determinedly at Yuuri’s hips.

 

“Seat?”

 

“Basically your hips but lower down so your butt is included…”

 

“Ah,” Yuuri said no more as his jeans were pushed lower, the cool of the tape wrapping around him once again, the ends meeting dangerously close to his groin.

 

Victor pulled away, a visible blush on his cheeks, the sudden chill of the room filling the space where Victor had been stood. Yuuri shivered for a moment as he adjusted.

 

Victor knelt down in front of Yuuri, catching his eye and giving a bashful smile as he tugged Yuuri’s jeans back up before measuring his in-seam, Yuuri suddenly incredibly aware of how close Victor’s fingers were to his groin again and hastily began pulling the zipper and button back into place. Satisfied, Victor stood again, noting the measurement before taking one step forward into Yuuri’s space again, wrapping the tape around his waist. Yuuri could feel Victor’s breath on the tip of his nose, long lashes visible as he stared down at the number.

 

Victor raised his eyes, meeting Yuuri’s gaze dead on. They stared in silence, breath hitching as Victor’s hands replaced the tape, winding themselves around Yuuri’s waist and closing the space between them. Yuuri’s hands slid onto Victor’s shoulders automatically, wrapping around his neck as his heart began feeling as though it was going to break through his chest.

 

They stared for a moment longer before Victor leaned in, tentatively placing his lips against Yuuri’s momentarily before pulling back and opening his eyes again and meeting Yuuri’s stare.

 

“Was that oka-” Victor started but Yuuri cut him off, pulling him back into a second kiss, stronger and more passionate this time, every inch of frustration from every time they had been close in the club pouring out.

 

Victor’s hands tightened around his waist, a small groan escaping his mouth as Yuuri’s fingers tangled themselves in his hair, lightly pulling on the silver strands. He nudged Yuuri’s mouth open, deepening the kiss and guiding them towards the work top. He felt Victor’s hands slide below the top, pushing the material out of the way to reveal his stomach.

 

Yuuri broke the kiss. “Wait, this top…” He pulled it off as gently as he could, not wanting to damage the material while it was pinned as Victor watched, eyes drifting down his body as though seeing it for the first time, cheeks flushed, lips swollen and shiny from the kiss.

 

Yuuri put his arms around Victor’s neck, meeting his lips a moment later once again, skin tingling pleasantly as Victor’s fingers trailed over his skin, dancing up and down his spine, gripping his hips and tracing the muscles before sliding down to his butt, cupping the cheeks firmly.

 

Yuuri laughed into the kiss, feeling Victor’s returning smile, neither willing to break the contact as Victor’s hands explored. Yuuri retaliated, running his fingers over the short hair on the back of Victor’s neck, massaging the muscles with his thumb before tugging on Victor’s hair again, grinning as Victor moaned again, breaking the kiss.

 

“You’re going to make me regret telling you about that aren’t you?”

 

“Just a bit…” Yuuri said, squeaking a moment later as Victor lifted him suddenly, sitting him on the worktop and then moving to stand between his thighs.

 

They stared for a moment as they caught their breath, then Yuuri heard a buzzing noise from his bag, startling them both from their reverie. Victor seemed to come to a realisation, an apologetic look passing over his features.

 

“Yuuri, as much as I am enjoying where this is going… I don’t keep protection at work…”

 

Yuuri frowned momentarily, brain trying to process what Victor was saying, the heat of his body between his legs was entirely too distracting…

 

“That was probably Phichi-…oh.” Realisation sunk in.

 

Victor took a step back, moving to sit on the worktop next to Yuuri, entwining their fingers.

 

“If you want to come back to mine we can get some along the way… But if you want to leave it there for today I understand.”

 

“Is that okay? I…hadn’t expected that is all…” Yuuri felt embarrassment creeping in as the heat of the moment drifted away.

 

“That’s fine, Yuuri. I didn’t expect that either to be honest…” Victor blew a strand of hair from his eyes.

  
”You mean you don’t end all your measurements like this?” Yuuri elbowed Victor in the side.

 

“Only the ones on __really__ attractive men, and even then they’re not allowed on the worktops normally.”

 

“Aaah, so I’m special?”

 

“You have no idea, Yuuri.”

 

Yuuri wasn’t sure how many shades of red he could turn in the space of a few minutes.

 

“Maybe that drink and awkward conversation first?”

 

“Agreed, let’s try doing this the old-fashioned way,” Victor grinned as he combed his hair out with his fingers.

 

“I’ll pre-warn you, I’m really not that interesting…” Yuuri started. Sure Victor liked him now but…

 

“See, everything I know about you so far says otherwise… you’ve lived in different countries, you’re a dedicated and talented danseur, burlesque performer, I am sure Chris said something about you pole-dancing at the audition…” Victor grinned.

 

Yuuri moaned and covered his face. “That was a few classes at university!”

 

“Now, I find __that__  very interesting…” Victor laughed as Yuuri squirmed.

 

“This is unfair, you need to start telling me your embarrassing secrets,” Yuuri pouted. “You’ve been getting backstage gossip.”

 

Victor looked thoughtful for a moment. “I used to have long hair when I was younger, then I cut it short and sort of traumatised myself so I held a memorial service for it… I made everyone dress formally and everything. Even Makkachin had a suit on!”

 

Yuuri searched Victor’s face for signs that he was joking, a self-conscious smile and small lift of the eyebrows told him he was serious.

 

A giggle escaped his mouth, Yuuri clamping a hand over his mouth straight away, trying to contain the hysteria.

 

“Just laugh, Chris did, extensively,” Victor said in mock offense.

 

Yuuri started giggling uncontrollably. “I’m just picturing a full on funeral…” The mental image of incense burning, a small coffin for the hair - also in a suit - pushed him over the edge. He lay back on the worktop, bypassing giggling for full on laughter.

 

Victor sighed.

 

“Was it buried or cremated?” Yuuri managed to ask through his laughter.

  
Victor snorted. “It was donated actually, it was long enough they could make a good wig out of it.”

 

As Yuuri’s laughter began to slow down he was able to reply. “I bet that made a little kid happy somewhere…”

 

“Now I definitely like you better than Chris,” Victor said, sitting himself back on the worktop and laying back next to Yuuri.

 

“Why?”

 

“He said it would be donated to old ladies…”

 

Yuuri started laughing again, crossing his arms over his stomach as he tried to catch his breath.

 

Victor crossed his arms, a pout firmly on his face as he ignored Yuuri’s laughter.

 

Yuuri glanced at him, laughing even harder at his face, tears forming in his eyes.

 

“It’s fine, I don’t have feelings…” Victor muttered, pout firmly in place.

 

“I’m…sorry…” Yuuri managed between giggles. Rolling onto his side, he leaned over and dropped a small kiss on Victor’s cheek. “I still think it made a small child happy.”

 

The pout melted almost instantly, replaced by a smile and a chuckle.

 

Yuuri wiped at his eyes and returned the smile.

 

“Sorry for laughing at your trauma,” Yuuri said, still giggling on and off. “I’ll make it up to you some time.”

 

“I look forward to that…” Victor leaned in for another kiss, Yuuri returning it instantly.

 

“Now how about we find somewhere that’s still open and get that drink? I’m sure we can get awkward conversation over by sunrise…” Victor said, pulling away.

 

“I know a few places, is there anything you want in particular?” Yuuri asked. Sara and Mila had happily shown them a few late night bars after work a few times.

 

Victor looked at Yuuri for a moment, seeming to think before his heart-shaped smile appeared on his face.

 

“Surprise me!”

 

Yuuri smiled back and nodded.

 

That he could do.

 

Phichit’s messages went unanswered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I've had fun with this fic - it's the longest thing I've ever written! I might end up adding a few one shots on for later but that will depend on inspiration/time. I need to get on with my dissertation and then the many prompts I owe my friend!
> 
> I can be found on tumblr at sothisiswhyiamhere!
> 
> And if you haven't already, check out runesque's burlesque art and comics! The link is at the start of this fic - they inspired this all!
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you leave a comment! If you haven't commented yet please do - no comment is too short! Or the share button is also a great option.
> 
> If anyone is interested, Yuuri WAS going to dance to another more emotional song which is very pretty but then silly burlesque clubs vibe took over. The original choice was Pufferfish Love by The Moulettes and A+++ hella pretty and beautiful song! 
> 
> Thank you!


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